


Danny Castellano is My Personal Chef

by tinyfierceandsassy



Category: The Mindy Project
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-30
Updated: 2014-04-30
Packaged: 2018-01-21 10:01:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 22,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1546733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinyfierceandsassy/pseuds/tinyfierceandsassy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This was my very first Dandy fic (actually, my very first fic EVER)! So it holds a special place in my heart. It starte out as a one shot, then became a long multi-chap. Premise is that Mindy needs help cooking and enlists Danny's help. Shenanigans ensue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Mindy stormed into Danny's office, flushed and spouting nonsense about how it's the "21st century" and that "the female role has changed". Danny smirked, looked up from his file, and took in the sight before him.

"What's wrong, Min?" he asked. He knew it was another one of her throwaway guys, probable named Jake or Sam or something equally simple.

"It's Josh."

Not too far off.

"What happened?"

"Josh," she stated, "asked me to cook dinner for him and his clients tomorrow night. When I told him I am single-handedly keeping the chinese delivery food service alive, he laughed at me. Can you believe that?"

Danny could, only too well. He knew Mindy barely knew a whisk from a spatula.

"But I have to cook dinner, to show him that I am not only a gorgeous, intelligent doctor, but a well-rounded homemaker as well." She continued. Danny scoffed, Mindy narrowing her eyes at him.

"Well, what are you gonna do?" He asked. He knew she had some scheme. "It's not like you can whip up some big, fancy meal out of thin air."

That's when Mindy's eyes started to gleam.

"No, I can't…but you can!" She said, looking at him with calculating eyes. She towered over him, demanding.

"Oh no," Danny countered, "the Castellano cooking secrets are not to be exploited for any Average Joe."

"But Danny!" Mindy cried, "It's Josh! And the Lakers! If I – by which of course, I mean you – cook a fabulous meal, I'll knock their Air Jordans right off. Josh will feel so bad that he doubted my – your – skills in the kitchen, that I will have earned the right to delivery for the forseeable future. He'll see how great I am, and whisk me away to the Empire State Building to put a ring on it before any other eligible bachelors win my heart."

Danny rolled his eyes. Mindy's cleverness also meant that she had a way of working her rom com endings into any scenario. But she was crazy if she thought he would help her impress some dope. No, he had better things to do, like learn the rest of "Movin Out" by the great Billy Joel.

"Sorry, Min, but this is your battle," he said, getting up to put a file at the nurse's station.

"Wait!" she cried, grabbing his – admittedly well-toned - arm. "What if I pay you in tickets?"

Danny stopped. With Mindy, who knew what kind of tickets he would be getting. He could end up at some Nicki Spears concert or something like that.

"Tickets to what?" he asked, turning around.

"Any game or sporting event you like," Mindy said. "Josh has contacts. I'll just tell him we need tickets to raffle off at an office party."

Danny stopped to think for a second. On the one hand, he hadn't gotten a chance to see the Yanks yet this season. It would be great to go to a game. On the other hand, he didn't want to be Mindy's minion.

"Okay," he said, "but on one condition."

"Name it," she replied. She was desperate at this point.

"I won't be doing the cooking." Mindy looked confused, starting to protest. He stopped her, adding, "I will teach you how to cook. That way, I won't be responsible for how it ends up. Not that you wouldn't be begging me for more, I mean, I am Danny Castellano."

Mindy rolled her eyes.

"Fine, Danny. If you teach me your magical Italian ways of cooking, I will get you tickets to a game. Deal?" She offered him her hand. "Deal," he agreed, firmly shaking it.

As he turned to walk out of the office, he smirked. This was going to be an interesting night.

"And don't forget your apron," he added. He was sure they'd need it.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Danny was just getting out his biggest pot when he heard the doorbell. He glanced at the clock. 7:27, he thought. Fashionably late as always. He opened the door to see Mindy carrying three big bags of who-knows what.

She sauntered in past him, appraising his apartment. He'd tried to clear some counter space for the prep work, but Mindy apparently took that as a sign to make it her own station.

"I didn't know you have cookware. What'd you bring?" He asked, motioning to the bags.

"Oh, these aren't pots and pans. I just couldn't decide on an outfit." He rolled his eyes as she pulled out several dresses and aprons.

"I was gonna go with the black chevron dress, but then the pattern on my red apron clashed," she pondered aloud.

Danny shook his head. "They're fine, no one but me is gonna see you outside of this kitchen."

Mindy conceded. "I guess that's true. And we all know I don't have to worry about your perceptions of style. I mean, let's be honest." Danny grunted. She put the dress back in the bag and settled for the first apron.

"Whatever, let's just get started." Danny was ready to get this over with. "I figured you wouldn't have any ideas prepared" - he glanced at Mindy, and she shook her head – "so I took the liberty of coming up with a few of my own. Let me know which ones sound good."

Walking over his kitchen island, he pulled out a worn cookbook, flipping through the pages.

"Whose is that?" Mindy asked. It looked like it'd seen quite a few dinners.

"My grandmother's," he answered. "My ma already has her own copies of the recipes, and well, Richie isn't one for cooking. So I got it. Alright, here we go." He'd settled on one page. "Lasagna. Classic, hearty, and hard to mess up." He looked at Mindy, smirking. "Not that I have any doubt you'll somehow manage to."

"How dare you!" Mindy took a step back. "I'm an intelligent, attractive doctor. I'm sure it's easy. Throw some cheese, noodles, and meat together, put it in the oven for a couple of hours, and we're good."

Danny scoffed. "Alright, Martha Stewart, let's see you do it then."

"Fine." Mindy retorted, ready for the challenge. She could take Danny down from his high horse. She would show him that she was perfectly capable.

"Okay," she started. "First ingredient: Ricotta." Danny laughed. She pronounced it so rigidly, like Rick-otta. She shot him a look out of the corner of her eye, looking around the kitchen. "Ricotta, ricotta, ricotta."

"Need some help?" Danny offered.

"No, just…assessing my materials." No way she was letting him see how confused she was. What the hell was Ricotta?

"Here." Danny slammed a container of what looked like refrigerated cottage cheese on the counter. "Ricotta."

"Thanks," Mindy yielded. There had to be at least a dozen other ingredients on the list. She would never finish at this rate, but she was determined to prove Danny wrong.

"Where's the tomato paste?" she asked, glad she could at least identify one thing on the list. Danny went into the pantry, bringing back several tiny cans. He smirked, knowing she was struggling and enjoying every second of it.

Mindy floundered for a few minutes, looking through Danny's many pots and pans before finally giving in.

"Alright, Castellano, stop looking at me so self-satisfied. I need your help. Teach me, sensei."

Danny laughed. "Time to learn from the master". Then he flew into action.

He put the big pot on the stove, showing Mindy how to combine the various tomato pastes and sauces. He grabbed a container from the cupboard, which looked like it had dead old plants in it. Noticing her skeptical look, he clarified: "Basil," Danny stated. "It's a spice. I just grow my own." He took a handful and crumbled it between his fingers, sprinkling it into the red concoction. Mindy nodded, impressed. Who knew Danny Castellano, pronounced opponent of nature, had a green thumb?

"Stop looking at me like that, I just make sure the thing sits in the sun and gets some water," he said. Danny was starting to sweat. Was he nervous or embarrassed? She thought it was cute that he could cook. Either way, it was time to focus. This meal was for Josh. He was the real guy she had to impress.

While Danny cooked the ground beef in a saucepan, Mindy continued to stir the tomato sauce. "Taste it," Danny suggested. He took a spoonful and brought it to her lips. He stared at them as she licked the sauce. It was delicious. Their eyes made contact for a brief moment before he looked away, embarrassed. What had just happened?

"It's really good, Danny" she said. She didn't know if she meant the sauce or whatever had just passed between them.

"Of course it is," he stated. "It's a Castellano recipe". And just like that, the big head was back. But, Mindy could tell, with less fervor.

"Alright, come over here," Danny directed. He held up a white, bulb-like thing. "This is garlic. We're gonna use a grater so that it's flavor is really brought out in the sauce." He handed her the holey thing and a clove. "Hold it over the pot and scrape away. But be careful, it's sharp."

Mindy began to rub the garlic back and forth slowly, scared of catching her fingertips on the edges of the device. Big chunks of garlic were plopping into the sauce.

"No, you're gonna hurt yourself. Do it like this," Danny said, grabbing her hands and quickly bringing the clove up and down the grater. She gazed up at him, admiring his skill and noticing little beads of sweat at his hairline. She was no stranger to this move. It always happened like this in her rom coms. The guy just had to touch the girl to show her how to do something, and then they would have a Moment. Mindy stared up at Danny, wondering when he would make his move.

"What're you doing, pay attention!" Danny startled her out of her thoughts. She was almost down to her fingers with the grater. "You have to be careful," he warned, bringing the dangerous offender over to the sink. "Now stir."

Potential moment over, Mindy turned back to the sauce. She liked how homey she felt. Making dinner, listening to some light music – probably Danny's beloved Bruce – and just generally having a good time. She was reminded of her own disastrous dinner with Josh when his seven Panini presses short-circuited. This was much better.

Over the course of the next hour, they finished assembling the lasagna. They alternated layers of cheese mixture (so that's what Ricotta was!), sauce, and noodles, smothering the whole thing in sauce before putting it in the oven. It smelled divine already, and it was pretty much raw. Mindy couldn't wait until it was done.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

The oven dinged, halting Mindy and Danny's discussion of IVF. It really was nice, having someone to discuss work with. Someone who understood what she was saying. Danny got off the couch, leaving his now-empty wine glass behind. Maybe it was the Merlot talking, but Mindy was starting to feel pretty good about the cooking – and her teacher.

"Come here, Min, I want you to see it," Danny called over the island. She walked over, smelling it from the living room. She could tell it was going to taste delicious. It almost looked too good to eat. The top was perfectly browned, and she could just see the cheese oozing between the layers.

"Wow Danny," she said. "I have to say, I am impressed. We – okay, you – did a really good job. Thank you for helping me."

"Sure," he replied. "I figured, Josh doesn't deserve to die, so I might as well save him from the poison I'm sure you'd have cooked up on your own." He smirked.

She smacked him on the arm. "Thanks, jerk. Really, though." Danny smiled, proud of his work.

"Well, do you wanna taste it? We have to do quality control, of course." Mindy hesitated, not wanting to ruin the perfect dinner. But it smelled So good –

"Okay. Just a teensy, tiny bite. I'm so little you know, I don't want to fill up before I even get there". Danny rolled his eyes, using a fork to get a bite from the very corner of the pan. He brought it up to her lips again, waiting a second for the steaming concoction to cool before putting it in her mouth.

It took a second before taste hit her.

"Ohmigod! Danny, this is incredible!" She could taste the garlic, he basil, and – was that what Ricotta tasted like? She needed to start adding that to her daily meals. "This is like heaven."

"That's what I thought you'd say," Danny smiled, adorably humble for once. "It may not be pasta Bolognese, but it's still pretty good."

"It's more than good," Mindy reassured him. "Josh is going to be so impressed!"

At the mention of him, Danny took a step back. "Yeah, so what's this guy all about? You guys serious yet?"

Mindy, noticing Danny's missing warmth, hesitated before answering. "I guess? I don't know, he's kind of a jerk but can also be really sweet. I'm hoping this dinner will bring out the latter more."

"Well, I hope it all works out for you." Danny sighed. "You better get going, I'm sure Jake - " "It's Josh," "-Josh, is starving."

"Yeah," Mindy agreed. "I better head out." She gathered her things, balancing the lasagna on one hand and carrying her outfits in the other. "Thanks again."

"Maybe we can do this again sometime," Danny offered. "I mean, you still have a ways to go as a cook. Rome wasn't built in a day."

"That sounds really nice, Danny." Mindy opened the door. "I'd like that." She kissed him on the cheek, closing the door behind her. He stood there for a minute after she left, feeling the warmth where her lips had touched his face.

Oh yes. There would be more lessons.


	2. Chapter 2

This time, Danny was in the breakroom when Storm Mindy landed.

"Danny," she cried, flying into the chair next to him. "You have to help me."

"What is it now?" He asked. "Beyoncé diss Miley?"

"One, that would never happen. Beyoncé doesn't need to diss anyone because she is the queen. Anyway, this is much worse. Josh liked the lasagna so much, asked me to cook again."

"You're still with this guy, what, a month later? He must be special," Danny remarked. He was impressed. Mindy's endless flow of men may be coming to a stop. She might actually have found someone. He wasn't sure why, but the idea made him uneasy. He brushed the feeling off, concentrating on the woman now preventing him from eating his BLT.

"Yeah, well, he won't be with me anymore when I show up to his aunt's house with a box of donuts from ShopRite!" Mindy collapsed onto the chair. "Danny, please. Can't you bake some cookies or something? I know you have a section in that cookbook for desserts. I saw you flip by it."

Damn Mindy and her quick eyes. He did have a formidable dessert repertoire. But that didn't mean he had to help her get with some schlum.

"Sorry, Min, but Café Castellano is closed for the holidays. Looks like you'll have to get someone else to roll your batter." He starts to pack up his sandwich, heading to his office for sanctuary.

"See, Danny, I'm so hopeless that I don't even understand how you just insulted me!" She cried, following him out of the room. Danny rolled his eyes.

He turned around, saying, "You are not worthy of the Castellano Chocolate Chip Cookies."

"I promise, I'll really help this time. I'll even provide the playlist!" Mindy looked so distressed, big, wide eyes looking up at him. Danny sighed. She always got him with the puppy eyes.

"What – no, we don't need a playlist. Fine, I'll do it. Just stop bothering me." Danny groaned. He knew she wouldn't give up.

"6:00 sharp at my apartment. Bring flour, eggs, sugar, and baking soda. And this time, come prepared to get a little messy."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

The doorbell rang, startling Danny from his nap. He glanced at the clock. 5:45? Who could it be? Had he ordered takeout again in his sleep? He padded over to the door, opening it to see a sensibly-dressed Mindy carrying several paper bags.

"Hey," she said, letting herself in. "You ready to go?"

"What's wrong?" Danny panicked. "Are you okay?"

Mindy looked confused. "Um…I'm here for my baking lesson. You said you would help me. Danny, you can't back out now! I'm losing my prime dating years! I won't look this hot forever!"

Danny let out a breath of relief. "Calm down. I guess I'm just surprised to see you here early. I assumed it was some kind of emergency."

"No, Danny, the only emergency is my love life. Let's get a move on." She shuffled into the kitchen, a little miffed. She could be on time when it really counted. After all, look how she had stepped up after Tom's wedding. She shook off the memory, determined to make this relationship a success. All she needed was a little help from Chef Castellano, and she was on her way.

"Okay, okay. I thought we could keep it simple: chocolate chip cookies." Danny said, shuffling into the kitchen. He ruffled his hair, still half-asleep.

"Sure. I went to the grocery store, which, by the way, did you know they have free samples? And wifi. That place is great.

'Anyway, I didn't know what stuff we needed, so I bought a couple kinds." She heaved the paper bags onto the counter with a bang.

"What did you buy, lead?" Danny asked, peering into the bags. He could see at least four pounds of sugar, several cartons of probably now-crushed eggs, three kinds of flour, and a box of baking soda as big as his head.

Mindy, noticing his astonishment, explained, "I didn't know how many cookies we were making."

Muttering something about "feeding 500 people with one fish and a loaf of bread," Danny pulled the ingredients out. She actually hadn't done a bad job. At least she came prepared this time.

"Alright. First things first, we gotta combine the dry ingredients. Go into that cupboard over there and bring me the measuring cups and spoons."

"Measuring cups and spoons. Right," she nodded, finding them quickly. "Now what?"

"Now, we measure out the flour, sugar, and baking soda. Here, let me show you how to level off the flour." Danny passed her one of the bags and a cup. "You want it to be flat on top."

Flat on top? How was she supposed to do that? Mindy started to pat the flour into the cup with her fingertips.

"No, not like that. Here. Slide your finger across." He demonstrated, skimming his thick fingers over the top. He grabbed a mixing bowl from beneath the counter, dumping the flour in. "Now you try."

Mindy was fine until the finger-sliding. Once she felt the crumbly substance against her skin, she started to freak out.

"Danny! Danny, ew! Ohmygosh! It feels so weird and gross!" She started to flail, causing her cup full of flour to now end up on Danny.

Peering out from his white coating, Danny huffed. "Good thing you bought enough flour to feed a small country." Mindy rolled her eyes. "I'm gonna go change. Do you think you can handle pouring out two more cups without dousing my place in it?" Mindy nodded, slightly giggling as Danny turned towards the bathroom. He started to pull his white tshirt up over his back, in that hot, one-motion way that guys do. As he brought it over his head, Mindy was allowed the sight of some very impressive back muscles. She'd always wondered what'd they'd looked like beneath the scrubs.

Snapping out of her daydream, Mindy shuddered. Ew! She was thinking about Danny in That way. Danny Castellano. The flour must be getting her to brain.

Danny came back a few minutes later, face washed and in a clean, tight-fitting tshirt that did nothing to dampen Mindy's curiosity. Mentally chastising herself, she forced herself to focus on pouring out flour.

"What next?" She asked. She needed to keep in mind why she was here. Josh, her cute, rich boyfriend. These cookies were for him. Well, his aunt. But really him.

"Now we add the baking soda. Grab me the teaspoon, will ya?"

Mindy stared down at the many tiny spoons, intimidated. "Which one is a teaspoon?" They all looked the same to her. Danny shook his head. "Tsp." Obviously this woman had never set foot in a kitchen before.

Once they added in the baking soda, they moved onto the wet ingredients. Mindy managed to combine the eggs, vanilla extract, butter, and sugar without any catastrophes. Finally came the time to mix the two concoctions.

"Here's the fun part: beating." Danny smiled.

"Excuse me? Daniel Castellano, I will sue you so quickly, I will get that Cliff guy-"

"Woah. I meant beat the ingredients together. With an electric mixer." Danny sighed.

"Oh. Okay. I was ready to defend myself using some very handy tips I learned from a lady named Miss Congeniality."

"Isn't that one of your silly romance-comedies?"

"Rom com, Danny, rom com. And yes. Sandra Bullock taught me how to defend myself, while competing in a beauty pageant. I just need to S.I.N.G.!"

"I mean, if you think your voice is that bad, I wasn't gonna say anything – " Danny shrugged, smirking. Mindy punched him in the arm.

"No. S.I.N.G. It's an acronym. Solar plexus, Instep, Nose, Groin. They're the places I need to hit if I'm attacked. I'm so tiny that I need to get them where it counts."

"You just need a guy who can defend you. Someone who works, out, who can bench at least 170." Mindy looked at him skeptically. "Fine. 140." Mindy took a second to eye his biceps. Yep, they looked like they could bench her. She wasn't sure how long had passed before she realized she was staring.

Danny coughed, bringing them back to reality. "Lucky for you, this part doesn't require too much strength." He plugged the electronic mixer into the wall, placing it next to the two mixing bowls. "Keep it on low at first, and increase the speed as you go. You ready?"

"Yeah, sure. I've done this loads of times." Mindy lied.

"Okay, let's just get through this one time." Mindy turned on the device, slowly moving it around the mixing bowl. "Look Danny! I'm doing it!"

"Yeah, you're doing real well. Just keep at it like that." Danny turned away, starting to clear some of the mess.

Feeling confident, Mindy turned the mixer up to level 5. All of a sudden, flour, eggs, and butter were flying everywhere. "Danny!" she screamed. "Help me!" She lifted the mixer into the air, causing batter to splatter the walls and ceiling. She spun around, looking for Danny, further decorating the kitchen with her mess.

Danny rushed over, quickly shutting it off. The batter was all over, barely any left in the bowl. He turned to Mindy, checking that she was okay. He brushed some butter off of her nose, smiling. Count on Mindy to mess up the simplest of recipes. Something about Danny's touch and the way he was looking at her made Mindy's heart skip a beat. She couldn't breathe.

Wait, or was that the flour in her lungs?

Mindy started to cough up a storm. Danny ran to grab her a glass of water. She gulped it down, gasping for air as soon as she swallowed.

"Donuts it is," Mindy laughed, a little uneasily. She wasn't sure if it was the lack of oxygen or the man in front of her causing her to feel this way, but she knew she needed to get out.

"I, um, think I need to go home." She stated. She started packing up her things, heading towards the door. "But thanks for trying." She turned and flew out of his apartment, leaving a confused Danny gaping behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

Sweating already, Danny timidly knocked on Mindy's office door. He was worried about her. She hadn't tweeted or texted him in 48 hours. He was still confused about why she ran out on their cooking lesson. One second she was looking at him with this strange look in her eyes, and the next –

"Go away, Real Housewives is on!"

So she was fine.

Danny opened the door and took in the sight before him. Mindy was staring at her computer screen, stuffing popcorn into her face. She stopped mid-shovel, quickly straightening up.

"Hey, um, if you're looking for the Anderson file, I gave it to Tamra. I think Betty will be fine, she just needs to go on maternity leave a little early."

"Sure, sure, whatever. So, uh, how'd Saturday night go?" Danny folded his arms and leaned on the corner of her desk, trying to look causal.

"Saturday night?" Mindy feigned ignorance, scooting a little ways away from the precariously-posed Danny. She didn't want to talk about Josh, not when she was so confused. Her heart had begun racing a thousand miles a minute the second she heard that knock on the door. She knew who it was, and she knew she couldn't avoid him (or Twitter) forever.

"The dinner with Josh's aunt," Danny clarified, bringing Mindy back to the conversation. "Did she like your store-bought donuts?"

"For your information, she loved my donuts. She said she appreciated the festive packaging." Mindy countered.

"Well, I guess you're set then." Danny wanted to ask her why she'd run out on him the other night, but he didn't have the courage. He started to turn towards the door.

"Wait, Danny. About the other night…" Mindy sighed. She did owe him an explanation…just maybe not the real one.

"Yeah?" He twisted around, hope splashed across his face.

"Um, I…wanted to apologize for leaving so quickly. I realized that I'd left my curling iron on at home." Mindy mentally kicked herself for such a stupid excuse. "So, sorry."

"Oh. It's okay. You probably woulda burnt down my kitchen anyway," he replied with a half-hearted smirk. "Maybe you just couldn't handle the Castellano charm that comes with my superior talents. "

"Ew, Danny, no." But she could feel the tightness in her stomach as she lied. She sat up, throwing popcorn at his face. "Now leave. You're making me miss NeNe and Cynthia fight over who has to kill the cockroach!"

Danny groaned, quickly exiting. He wasn't interested in that crap. Mindy sighed, falling back into her chair as he closed the door.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Things at the office had been off ever since the Great Cookie Debacle. Danny would grunt at Mindy when he saw her in the lobby, immediately closing his office door after him. It wasn't even an angry door-close, it was just…apathetic.

And that was what killed Mindy. Though she would deny it in court, she loved her spats with Danny. It made the practice more exciting, and sharpened her debate skills for when she was a celebrity judge on X Factor. She really missed him.

So she decided to show him that she could see a lesson through. After searching Pinterest for hours, she found the perfect recipe. Walking confidently into Danny's office, she slammed it down on his desk and waited for his praise.

"Mac n Cheese Pizza? What is this?" Danny looked up at her with disdain.

"This is the topic for our next cooking lesson." Mindy had to get him to cook for her. It was the only way to clear the air.

"Oh no. You bailed on me last time. I'm not being stuck with some half-baked pie."

Mindy plopped down into the chair across from him. "Danny, I'm sorry. Can we please try again? I will check all of my hair-related appliances before I come over this time."

Danny groaned. "I dunno, Min, I've got plans."

"What? Organizing your sock drawer again?"

"Yeah, yknow, you gotta put the long ones with each other and the short ones on the other side, and, I dunno, I haven't watched the Discovery Channel in awhile…"

"Danny, I am doing this for your own good. If you stay in any longer, you're going to turn into a 65-year old man." Now Mindy was worried. Maybe bugging him wasn't the best idea. Should she have brought a peace offering or something? Some real glasses from the drug store?

"Hey, 65-year-old men are the backbone of this country!"

"Yeah you told me before, Hugh Hefner. So. Are we on for tonight?"

Danny pondered for a second. It was pizza. With macaroni and cheese on top. He couldn't let her ruin a perfectly fine, classic meal with her silly little website creativity. And he did crave a little companionship, he admitted. He would bake the damn pizza, and the office wouldn't be so tense anymore.

Mindy watched the emotions play over his face, finally setting on a resolve.

"Okay, so it's decided then! Pizza night at the Castellano place." She started to walk away.

"What? I never even agreed to anything!" Danny stood up, staring after her.

"I could see it, Danny. Don't worry." And with that, she popped out of sight.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Danny sat on his couch, fiddling with the remote. The Yanks were losing, and doing nothing to calm his nerves. He didn't know what Mindy was up to this time. She didn't have any dates to cook for, so why was she so set on making pizza together? He could feel the sweat stains building underneath his arms. He rushed to his closet, changing his shirt for the third time that night.

Dammit, Castellano, calm down! He chided himself. It's pizza. You're a pro at this. She'll come, you'll roll some dough, throw some cheese on it, and everything will be fine.

The doorbell rang. Show time.

"Hey!" She said excitedly. Was that too cheery? Are we still in a weird place? She was nervous. She could tell from the slight sheen on Danny's forehead that he was as well.

"Hey, so, uh, you can put your stuff on the counter." He opened the door wider for her to come in.

Mindy blanched. The ingredients! She'd forgotten all about those.

"Danny, you mean you don't have anything here to cook with?! Don't you Italians have your homegrown ingredients stocked in case of an ice storm?" Danny looked incredulous.

"What? No, of course not! I'm not some food warehouse."

Mindy groaned. "Well, I guess we get to take a trip to the supermarket, then."

"Fine. Let's go, I'm starving." Danny said. "Lemme grab my coat." Huffing, he followed her out the door.

___________________________________________________________________________________

 

Danny, pushing the cart, glanced over at Mindy. She was staring wide-eyed at all the different types of tomato sauce lining the shelves.

"Which one do we pick?" She asked.

Danny scoffed. "We don't 'pick' any. Castellanos don't buy jarred sauce. We make our own."

Mindy mimicked his cocky retort behind him as he grabbed some Hunt's purée from the shelves. They'd already collected the garlic, a box of Velveeta, and numerous bags of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

"Alright, I think we're good. Ready?" Danny turned to her.

"Wait, what about the dough?" Mindy said, noticing a severe lack of starch in the cart.

"Please, Min. I'm Italian. I have some pre-made dough in the fridge." He laughed, walking ahead.

"Whatever you say, Chef." Mindy grimaced at her awkwardness. What was she doing?

"Uh, okay, helper," Danny returned equally as weird. What was he doing?

He pushed the cart into one of the checkout lanes.

"Hey there." He smiled at the young cashier. "How you doin tonight?"

Is he flirting with her? She is way too young for him! Mindy's mind raced. She wasn't sure why she was so concerned over this girl. It was Danny's life and he could flirt with whoever he wanted.

"Is your wife okay?" The cashier asked, looking at Mindy with concern. Mindy was zoning out, staring at the poor girl. Danny laughed.

"Oh, she's not my wife. Definitely not." He wasn't sure why he added that last bit.

"Um, excuse you, you would be lucky to marry me." Mindy retorted. She admitted, she was a little hurt. She didn't think it would be such a horrible thing to be married to Danny. He could cook for her a lot. Except, she'd have to do laundry, like, 10 times a week. In addition to her own 10 loads.

"You have a nice night," Danny winked at the cashier, grabbing the bags as Mindy stormed out of the store.

"Min, calm down. Look, I'm sorry, alright? You're a nice lady. It wouldn't be so terrible to be married to you. Although you would steal all my bathroom counter space with your nose-dusting."

"No one dusts their nose anymore, Danny. I swear, sometimes I think you are 65." She rolled her eyes, then cracked a bit of a smile. Seeing her give in, Danny started walking back. He placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her along.

"Come on, we've got some pizza to make."


	4. Chapter 4

"Wow Danny, this is so cool!" Mindy was playing with the ball of dough he'd taken out of the freezer. "I feel like I'm back on the Island!"

"You were never on the Island in the first place," Danny said, grabbing it from her. "Now watch me roll out the dough. You see how I start in the middle, putting pressure on the rolling pin? You try." He handed her the instrument.

"I didn't know these could be used for cooking! I always assumed they were just weapons women had in the movies for when they were attacked by mysterious strangers."

"You have got to stop watching those," Danny sighed. "They're not like reality."

"Whatever, Danny. When a big guy storms into your kitchen and you use this to defend yourself, then we will talk."

"Why would a guy be storming into my kitchen? That doesn't even make any sense," Danny replied. "Just concentrate on rolling the dough out."

"Fine," Mindy said. "But if I mess up my manicure on this, you're paying for a new one."

"Right." Danny scoffed, turning to stir the tomato sauce. Mindy had to admit, it smelled even better than she remembered. It was the same night she had kissed his cheek and felt a little spark…

"Hey!" Danny's cry jerked her from her reverie. "You're making it too thin! That's enough." He took the rolling pin from her, dousing the dough in flour.

"Now watch this." He smirked. He gathered the dough, bunching his hands beneath it. Then he began to whip it around, spreading it out into a circle. "Neat, huh?" He laughed.

"Let me try!" Mindy cried.

"Oh, no. You're not ready for this." Mindy pouted. "But maybe some day."

Maybe some day? That meant there would be more lessons! Giddy, Mindy skipped over to the sauce, making sure it didn't bubble over.

"Alright, the crust is ready to go." Danny set it down on what looked like a big stone. "What?"

"Why are we putting our food on a rock?" She asked.

"It's a pizza stone. It makes sure the whole pie cooks evenly." She nodded. Danny definitely knew what he was doing. It was impressive. It was nice to hang out with a guy who was knowledgeable about real skills, instead of skateboarding or midwifery.

"Okay, so we got our crust, now onto the best part: the sauce," Danny smirked. He was really enjoying himself, showing Mindy a different side. He spread the sauce around using a ladle, watching Mindy follow it around and around with her big, deep eyes.

He coughed to cover up his fascination.

"Next, we put on the cheese." He circled the pie with mozzarella and Parmesan, looking every bit the Italian Pizzeria maker.

"And then the macaroni!" Mindy clapped. "The best part!"

Danny sighed. "Why do we have to put on the macaroni and cheese? Why fix what ain't broke?" He asked. The pie was fine as is, why did she have to go around changing everything? She came into the practice and painted the walls, hired Morgan, and started Christmas parties. Now she had to go and mess with pizza? Pizza was good on it's own before she came along. Pizza was sensible and reliable. Adding mac n cheese would throw the whole thing off.

"Danny," Mindy replied, "as the prophetic band Imagine Dragons has stated, 'welcome to the new age'. Mac n cheese is great on by itself, and so is pizza. Imagine how much better they'll be together! Don't ask why, think, 'why not?'"

"Well what if the two flavors clash? They're strong enough on their own, and when they come together, things might get messy and weird."

Mindy felt like this wasn't about pizza anymore, but she was too afraid to call Danny out on it. She decided to ignore her problems in the hopes that they would clear up on their own.

"It's gonna be okay, Danny. Take a step out of your hermit shell. Take a chance! We can order in if it all turns out horribly." Dodged a bullet there, she thought. Now we're back on track.

Danny sighed. He wasn't gonna win this one, he could tell. And maybe changing things up once in awhile wasn't too horrible. If all else failed, he could just scrape the mac n cheese off and into a bowl.

"Fine," he relented. "But next time, I'm making us a real, classic pizza. No fancy-schmancy crap. Just some pepperoni and sausage."

"Okay, Danny, we will make boring ol' pepperoni and sausage pizza so you can feel all macho and show off your skills," Mindy rolled her eyes, but Danny detected a hint of excitement in her voice. He smiled with the knowledge that she was impressed by his cooking abilities, glad he could share them with somebody. He turned and checked the second pot on the stove. "The mac n cheese is ready when you are."

Carefully, Mindy poured the concoction over the entirety of the pie. It settled, looking a bit like bread-lined soup.

"Are you sure we did it right?" she asked. "It looks kinda gross." Mindy was beginning to doubt her Pinterest recipe.

"It's your recipe, how am I supposed to know?" Danny grunted. "It'll be fine. It has to cook yet." He put the whole thing is the big oven and set the timer.

He sat down on the couch, turning on the game. Mindy plopped down next to him and groaned. "Can't we watch something with a plot?"

"My TV, my rules." He replied, putting his feet up on the coffee table. Mindy slumped, suddenly feeling very sleepy. She leaned into Danny, who jumped in surprise, but let her stay. She could feel his bicep tense up and relax as she drifted off…

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The timer rang out, shrieking that their pizza was finished. Mindy was startled awake, wiping the corners of her mouth. Oh crap! She had drooled! She knew she shouldn't have had that milkshake before, they always make her phlegmy afterwards…

Luckily, Danny didn't notice. He hopped off the couch, grabbing his oven mitts. Mindy couldn't help but notice how cute he looked with the old-lady patterns on his hands.

Danny placed it on the counter top. It smelled so good and cheesy. "Danny, look at it now! It looks great!" Mindy called, rushing over to check out her handiwork.

"Yeah, I thought you might have a change of heart," Danny smirked. "We have to let it cool for a couple minutes, though. I'll be right back." He headed off towards his bedroom.

Mindy was impatient. It looked so yummy, sitting there, waiting to be eaten. She figured Danny wouldn't notice one little corner missing. As soon as she popped it in her mouth, however, she did regret the section of her tongue that would be.

"Ah! Hot! God, that is hot!" She screamed. Danny came running out of his bedroom, shirtless.

"What?! What's the matter? Min?" He cried, rushing over to her.

"Pizza…hot! Burn!" was all she could manage to get out.

"I told you to let it sit!" He yelled at her as he rushed to the freezer and grabbed her an ice cube. She held it on her tongue, sighing in relief. She took the moment to appreciate Danny's 6-pack. It was almost like those guys in the movie 300. She hadn't seen it, but she'd spent a fair amount of time ogling the men in the posters.

Danny, noticing her gaze, crossed his arms over his chest. That didn't help at all. Now she was staring at his biceps again! Danny knew he looked pretty good, but he wasn't used to the blatant attention.

"If you're done inspecting my body, how's yours?" He asked.

"Uh, exchoos mi?" Mindy asked around the ice cube. Was he checking her out while she was checking him out?

"Your tongue! I meant your tongue. Jeez." He sighed, fidgeting anxiously, giving up on modesty. He flexed his muscles a bit, knowing she was loving it.

"I dunnoh. It hurs." She managed to get out. The display in front of her was taking her mind off the pain.

"Here, lemme see," Danny said. "Open up." Mindy started to protest, but gave in. It really did hurt a lot.

Danny clicked his tongue. "You'll be fine. It's just a bad burn. Stay away from crunchy stuff for awhile and you'll be okay." He gave her back the ice cube, which was starting to melt. He quickly licked off the water from his fingers, drawing her attention to his lips. His big, puffy lips –

"What? Do I have something on my face?" He asked, quickly passing a hand over it.

"You fine. Mo ice?" Mindy requested, trying to divert his attention. She was rewarded with another glimpse of his toned shoulders as he reached up to grab a cup, filling it with ice from the freezer.

"Here. Let's sit down while we wait for the pizza to cool. Like I said before," Danny teased, grabbing a hoodie from the coat rack.

Mindy humphed, mourning the lost sight of his abs, but willingly sat down on the couch.

"I'll even let you pick what we watch, being injured and all." Danny smiled. He handed her the remote. Mindy quickly settled on Say Yes to the Dress, and Danny groaned.

"Really?" he asked, pleading.

Mindy just nodded as Danny crossed his arms, determined to steel himself for the thousands of pop culture references – and following explanations – coming his way.

After a long – in Danny's opinion – fifteen minutes, he stood up to check the pizza. The cheese was melting perfectly, some right onto the edges of the crust. "It's ready, Min." he called. Her ice had melted some time ago, so she was ready to eat.

He grabbed two plates from the cupboard, carefully cutting two pieces from the pie with his special blade. It looked just as good as when Mindy had burned her tongue.

Timidly, she bit into the tip of her slice. The Velveeta cheese hit her first, as she chewed the macaroni. Then the pizza flavors came in, adding to its savory taste. She just sighed, content. While her burnt tastebuds did protest, she fought through the minor pain. This was too delicious to give up on for a little discomfort.

"Good?" Danny smirked, already halfway through his. He was starving.

"Mhmmm," Mindy mumbled around her piece. They finished half the pie in silence, enjoying their work. Danny sighed contently, reflecting on how nice it was to be with someone and not have to talk all the time. They both felt the warmth of the company and pizza, and that was enough.

"Well," Mindy said, getting up. It was starting to get late, and the lesson was over. She wasn't sure if Danny would want to continue to hang out, but either way, she was exhausted and had a planned C-section early the next morning. "I better go."

"Yeah, I've gotta hit the hay. Lots of patients tomorrow." He stretched, awarding her a nice shot of his chest pushing against the fabric of the hoodie.

"I had fun tonight," she said as she put on her coat. "Minus the tongue-burning. But other than that, it was nice. And see, I told you I would see it through this time."

Danny smirked. Yeah, she had. Maybe sometime they would be able to make something without ingredients ending up everywhere and injuries abounding.

"Yeah, I guess you did," Danny allowed, smirking. He was proud of her.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said, leaning in for a hug. Surprised, Danny froze for a second, then wrapped her in his arms tightly. He breathed in, inhaling her sweet shampoo and the smell of macaroni and cheese. Mindy was experiencing some ticklings on her side too. She could smell his deodorant, all nice and manly, and her head rested perfectly in the crook of his neck. She could hear his heart beating fast. They stood together for awhile, just smelling each other and liking how it felt to be held.

"Alright, I'm heading out," Mindy said, finally straightening up.

She grabbed her purse, turning to give him a kiss on the cheek again. Danny, however, had had the same idea and turned into it. Their lips landed on each other, causing both to stop in shock. Mindy felt heat flash through her veins, appreciating how soft Danny's lips were. He was being gentle, almost reverent with his kiss, and his eyes were closed, long eyelashes splayed across his cheekbones. He looked so peaceful in that split second before recognition set in. Mindy's eyes widened as she consciously realized they had been kissing for awhile now, and pulled back, alarmed. Both started stuttering at the same time.

"Uh, um, sorry, I thought you were – "

"No, that was my fault, I should've just – "

"Okay, yeah, right – " they both fumbled. "Uh. Yeah. You better go." Danny sighed, looking down and scratching his neck. "I'll see you at the office, partner."

"Right, partner," Mindy replied awkwardly, quickly slipping out the door. She ran out of the building, thoughts running through her mind. What had just happened, and what did it mean?


	5. Chapter 5

Almost galloping into the office, Mindy swiped Danny from the nurse's station and shoved him, protesting, into her office. She slammed the door, leaving the rest of the practice alarmed and curious.

"Hey, Min, how was your – " Danny started.

"No. We are going to talk about it." She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Talk about what?" Danny shrugged, acting naive. They hadn't talked since the Accidental Kiss Catastrophe. He'd been thinking of it like that, all capitalized.

Mindy cornered him. "You know what." She glanced at the door, as if the entire practice was listening. Which, if the cough she heard outside was any indication, was likely. "You kissed me," she whispered, "and now we have to decide how to handle it."

"Woah," Danny half-shouted, throwing up his hands, incredulous. " I kissed you?"

"Shhh!" Mindy shushed him. "I was just trying to give you a pleasant, polite goodbye, and then the next second, you're slobbering all over my face!"

"Oh please! I was not slobbering! That was the best kiss of your life and you know it!" He stormed to the window. "And you're the one who gave me that hug, sidling up to me!"

"Exsqueeze me?" Mindy retorted, outraged. "I cannot help that I am a short, petite woman and that my head fits perfectly into the crook of your neck!" Danny's eyes widened, but he didn't respond.

They stood for a second, both steaming, refusing to back down.

Danny turned around, gesturing with frustration. "Fine! We'll say I kissed you. But it doesn't matter. Either way, it happened." He sighed. "Now what are we gonna do about it?"

Mindy groaned. "Nothing. I can't tell Josh."

Danny looked at her like she was crazy. "What are you talking about? Of course you have to tell Josh! Don't you respect him?"

"Yes, Danny, I respect him. And I really like him. And that's why I can't tell him."

"I'm sorry, you must have lost me somewhere on the crazy train. Why do we have to lie?"

Mindy took a deep breath. "If I tell Josh, he'll get jealous. That means every office party, every late night at the practice, he'll be wondering whether or not I'm hooking up with you." Danny scoffed. "What? Like you don't want a piece of this hot bod? I saw the way you looked at me when I left." Danny rolled his eyes, mentally cursing himself for being so obvious.

Mindy squared her shoulders. "No. I will not let some silly, stupid mistake ruin my relationship." Danny cringed at her harsh words. Yeah, he understood they'd made a mistake, but he didn't think it was that superfluous. He'd felt a spark; hadn't she?

Mindy turned to him. "So do you promise not to tell Josh?" She looked so desperate, like this was the only thing left for her to hold onto. He couldn't take that away from her.

Danny sighed, giving in. "Yeah, yeah, I promise." He stood up. "But when this backfires on you, don't come blaming me." He walked to the door, opening it, and put on a big, theatrical voice.

"Yes, Dr. Lahiri, I understand how expensive scented hand sanitizer is now. I will not use yours anymore."

Mindy rolled her eyes at his ridiculous cover. "Thanks Danny," she said, rounding her desk to sit down. She would dive into her work, and forget anything had happened. Everything would be fine. It had to be.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

A week later, trying to find Mindy to collaborate on a twin birth, Danny opened the door to her office and whacked something.

"Ow! Danny, jeez, don't you knock?" Mindy struggled to sit up, rubbing her shin where the door had just hit her. Danny could see crumbs on her shirt, and dried tears on her cheeks.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I assumed you would be sitting at your desk like a normal person," he responded sarcastically. But in reality, he was worried. Mindy never cried at the office. She always locked herself in the men's bathroom, because according to her, "men have more options than women" when it came to places to pee.

"Okay, enough, Dr. Sassy. Leave me to my fate." She laid back down next to an empty donut box.

Danny sighed. He didn't have time for Mindy's dramatics today; he had a double birth this afternoon. But he knew when the donuts were gone, things had hit rock bottom.

"What's the matter?" Danny asked, stepping over Mindy's body. "Gilmore Girls get cancelled?"

Mindy groaned, raising her hands to her face. "Danny, Gilmore Girls would never get cancelled. It was the pinnacle of quirky television." She rolled onto her stomach, searching the empty donut box for crumbs. Seeing none, she flipped onto her back again. "Josh broke up with me."

A spark of hope lit in Danny's heart. He involuntarily smiled, hiding his mouth with his hand. "What? Why?" He tried not to sound too happy.

"He found out we kissed," she responded. She felt horrible. He could hear it in her voice.

"How?" Danny asked. "I sure as hell didn't tell him. Did you?"

"No!" She sat up quickly, offended. "He has some freaky Cheat-Sensor. I walked into his apartment and he knew."

"Well, I wouldn't call it cheating, I mean, it was a mistake," Danny offered.

"It doesn't matter, he knew. I put on extra makeup for my poker face a la Lady Gaga, and everything. He didn't even let me sit down before he started asking who it was and saying that I had some 'faraway look in my eye' that 'only comes out when you're in love'. Well, he couldn't have been more off on that part. But either way, he knew, and he wouldn't let me explain. So I just left, and he hasn't responded to any of my calls or text messages since."

"Maybe he just needs some time, Min," Danny suggested. He remembered how hurt he had been when Christina cheated on him. A little bit of rage built up in his chest as he recalled walking in on them together, in his bed. How he would love to punch that guy's smug mug, right in the jaw -

"It doesn't matter. It's over now," Mindy broke him out of his dark fantasy. "I'm doomed to be a spinster forever, with no one to appreciate my wit and beauty." Mindy flopped back down dramatically. "They'll have pictures of me in the museums, describing how I was so dedicated to my craft, and so stunning, yet no one stuck around because I'm a horrible, cheating person."

"They're not gonna put you in a museum, Min. You have to do something really important first." Mindy gave him a look. Okay, so humor wasn't working. "You're not a cheater. It was an accident, and he didn't have the maturity to forgive you. And come on, I appreciate your wit and beauty," Danny ventured.

Mindy scoffed. "That doesn't count, Danny! You're an old man. It's like my dad is telling me that one day, the mean girls will be working for me."

"I'm in my 30's!" Danny cried. Why did everyone always forget that? "Anyways, you're better off without that guy. He was a jerk."

"How do you know? You never met him!" Mindy replied from the ground.

"I dunno, probably cuz all the guys you date are jerks." Danny smirked back. "You'll run into another one at the coffee stand tomorrow and be back on the horse in no time."

"No, that's it Danny. I'm done with men." He scoffed. "Okay, I'm taking a short hiatus." Danny rolled his eyes. This woman could be single like Bruce Springsteen could play punk music, but he hated to see her hurt, so he decided to help.

"Come over to my place around 8 tomorrow night. I've got something that'll make you feel better."

"What is it?" Mindy asked, a little smile peeking out.

"You'll see," Danny replied, stepping back over her as he exited the office. Now he just needed to make a special call.


	6. Chapter 6

Mindy arrived at Danny's apartment in what she liked to call her Breakup Gear: oversized sweatpants, a PINK hoodie, her FatSteps (with fuzzy lining inside), and her wine bra. She was ready to pity party.

"So what's this amazing surprise you've got prepared, Danny?" she asked, carefully walking over to his couch and carrying a half-empty bottle of wine. She admitted, pregaming might not have been the best idea, but she figured she needed it for a night in with Danny Castellano right after she had been dumped.

Danny shook his head, upset to see her so torn up over this guy. "We're going on a field trip," he replied. He hoped it would help. Mindy looked like she could really use time away from work and her empty apartment. As well as some fresh air, he noted, as she wobbled while sitting.

Mindy panicked at Danny's revelation. "What? Outside?" She asked, looking at the curtained windows worriedly.

"Yes, outside," Danny smirked. "The place that exists beyond the practice and our apartments?"

"Danny!" Mindy shrieked. "I'm in no condition to go outside!" She gestured to her outfit.

"Whaddya mean? You look fine." Danny liked her clothes. They weren't as loud as what she wore to the practice all the time. He kinda liked them.

"I'm wearing my Breakup Gear, not my Adventure Gear!" Danny rolled his eyes.

"Come on, it's not like we're going to the Ritz. No one cares."

"I do!" Mindy wailed, hiding her face in a pillow. "What if I finally meet The Guy? He won't fall in love with me if he sees me in my half-deflated wine bra!"

Danny sighed, trying to tug the pillow from her grasp and failing. "Well, it's still an improvement over the usual." He chuckled.

"Okay, enough," she replied, ripping the pillow from his hands and glaring at the smug man standing above her.

"Min, please just come with me. I promise, no one's gonna judge you. And if they do, I'll beat 'em up like that guy from the prom movie. What's his name? Joe Levi?"

"Really?" Mindy peeked out from behind her defense. "You would pull a JGL in 10 Things I Hate About You?"

"Yeah, sure, for you." He shrugged, trying to play it off like it was no big deal. He saw Mindy's eyes crinkle with a smile as she pushed herself up and off the couch.

"Okay. I guess I could use some fresh air."

"Good. Now leave your wine here. We won't need it where we're going." Mindy frowned, but put the bottle on the coffee table as she trudged after Danny, out the door.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

"Is this where you kill me?" Mindy asked, peering out the window of the car at the dark building.

"No, this is not where I kill you," Danny replied, getting out of the taxi and opening up the door for Mindy. "This is my friend's place."

"Okay, so is this where he kills me?"

Danny sighed, exasperatedly. "Will you just trust me? Come on." He led her to the door and knocked to the tune of "Shave and a Haircut". From somewhere deep in the building, the resounding "two bits" response rang back. Danny smiled, pushing on the door.

"Hey, Mike! We're here!" Danny called out into the darkness. All of a sudden, the lights flickered on, revealing what appeared to be a small ice cream parlor.

"Danny!" A tall man clad in flannel called as he rounded the display. "Good to see ya." He and Danny clapped each other on the back as they hugged. "And who is this?" he looked at the confused woman standing next to his friend.

"I'm Mindy," she replied, sticking out her hand.

"Nice to meet ya. You takin care of our Danny boy?" He asked her, smirking as he glanced at the blushing male doctor.

"Yeah, yeah, she's takin care of my headaches," Danny shot back. Mindy loved how Danny's accent came out more around his old friends and family.

"Good," Mike smiled. "Well, you know the deal. You two kids have fun. And lock up when you're finished!" Mike called over his shoulder as he headed for the door. He stopped for a second, twisting the dimmer on the wall to give the space some mood lighting. He winked at Danny, who scratched his neck and looked around, embarrassed.

"He loves to tease me, it's a thing we do," Danny tried to explain. Mindy enjoyed seeing him uncomfortable. It was adorable.

Danny shrugged off his leather jacket. "You ready for the best gelato in New York?" he asked, changing the subject. He led Mindy to a stool by the counter.

"I guess I could eat something. Just a little," Mindy replied.

"A little, huh? Okay," Danny smiled, grabbing a scoop. Noticing her studying the place, he explained: "Mike's a buddy of mine from back home. Sometimes he lets me come after hours. I figured you could use a change of scenery."

Mindy rewarded him with a little smile. "Is this where you bring all your hot dates?" she teased. "Show them you have connections?"

"Something like that," Danny replied, taking in the familiar space for himself. "Usually I just bring my Ma. She needs to get out more."

"Well, I'm sure she feels really special." Mindy offered. This really was a sweet surprise. She was glad she didn't have to get dressed up for it. Danny had seen her in her scrubs after a triple delivery; she didn't need to worry about impressing anyone.

"That's the intention." Danny smiled. It was working. He could see a little bit of light come back into Mindy's eyes.

"I thought that tonight we would skip the lesson," Danny started. "That way, we avoid any potential disasters." Mindy liked that idea, perking up in her seat.

"So what flavor do you want?" he spread his arms across the length of the cooler. "We've got your classics: chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, lemon. Then we got some Amaretto, coffee, egg nog, passion fruit…"

"Ooh, passion fruit sounds good." Mindy leaned eagerly into the glass. "Rihanna requests that some be in her dressing room before every performance."

"Yeah, that sounds like something you'd like to do." Danny smirks. He grabbed a scoop and a cup, heaving a huge portion of the frozen dessert into it. He stuck a spoon in the top, smiling, and pushed it over to Mindy.

"What do you mean?" Mindy asked between bites. It was so sweet and so cold. She relished the flavor, closing her eyes with pleasure.

"I dunno, you just seem like the type of girl who likes fruity things. And you always come into the practice smelling like flowers," Danny noted, trying to sound casual but failing. He shrugged, serving himself some chocolate gelato. He came back around the counter and leaned on the stool next to Mindy.

"You have Herbal Essences to thank for that," she replied, swiveling in her chair, causing her hair to swish back and forth. Danny choked on his gelato, enjoying watching her dark locks move across her shoulders. "My hair is the framework of my selfies. I have to keep it looking and smelling luscious."

"What? You can't smell hair through pictures," Danny argued through bites of chocolate.

"No, but you can sense if it smells clean and pretty," Mindy alleged. Danny sighed. He gave up. He would never win against the perfume queen.

They sat in silence, too engrossed in the dessert to keep up the conversation. "Good?" Danny asked, glad to see her spirits up.

"Mhmmm," Mindy nodded, not stopping for anyone.

"You wanna try some of mine?" Danny offered. "The chocolate is their best flavor, in my opinion. My Ma used to buy it for us special every Sunday after mass."

Mindy was not one to pass up on free samples. Nodding, she replied, "That sounds sweet. Was it a reward for being a good little altar boy?" she teased, glancing up from her own cup.

"I was not a good little altar boy-" Danny began, then stuttered, realizing what he'd said. "No, I mean, I was a good altar boy, just not little, and not in the way you're saying it." He hunched his shoulders in frustration. Mindy laughed, pleased to have knocked him off balance.

Danny fiddled with his spoon, trying to get a good bite-sized amount onto it. He awkwardly held it out towards Mindy, not knowing whether to feed it to her or give her the utensil. He settled for the former option, watching as her lips closed around the plastic spoon.

"Anyway," Danny continued, trying to distract himself, "when my dad left, me and Richie were kinda down for awhile. Whenever my Ma brought us here, we would forget about him and just enjoy our dessert." Danny looked down at the treat, lost in memories of years past.

Mindy nodded sympathetically, savoring the story and the flavor of the gelato. "The chocolate's good, Danny. Here, try mine." He tried to refuse, but she shoved a heaping bite into his mouth. He instantly felt the pain in his head.

"Ah! Ah! Brain freeze!" he jumped up, dancing around, trying to shake it off. Mindy laughed and clapped as Danny gave her an accusing look.

"Danny, I didn't know you had moves like those locked away!" she teased. Danny glared at her for a minute, about to retort, when a beeping ditty starting sounding from his back pocket.

"Oh my god, you still use those old ring tones? What is this, the Stone Age?" Mindy asked as Danny flipped (yes, flipped!) open his phone. Danny motioned for her to quiet down as he listened to the person on the other end.

"Ma? Ma, what's the matter?" he asked, starting to pace around the small shop. Mindy quieted as soon as she heard the tone of his voice. "Ma? I can't hear you well. Calm down, everything's gonna be fine. I'm comin' over." He closed the phone and looked at Mindy. "Looks like we're going on a detour," he said, taking her hand to pull her off the stool. She quickly grabbed her gelato and rushed out the door while Danny locked up, calling a cab to get them to the Island.


	7. Chapter 7

Mindy reached down to test the tenderness of newly-created bruise, glaring at her cabmate. Danny's jiggling knee kept bumping into hers. He was fidgeting with his keys too, staring out the cab window with a worried look on his face. Mindy sighed, knowing she couldn't be mad at him right then.

"I'm sure she's okay, Danny," Mindy said. "We'll be there soon."

Danny grunted. Leaning forward, he grabbed the headrest from the front seat. "Can't you go any faster?" he asked frantically. The cab driver ignored him.

"He's going as fast as he can." Mindy pulled on him, trying to release his deathgrip. He collapsed back into the seat. "In the meantime, you need to calm down. You look like you just completed the Freestyle Round on Dancing With The Stars." She pointedly stared at his sweat-soaked collar.

Danny was so distracted, he didn't even roll his eyes at her reference. Plucking his shirt away from his chest, he simply replied, "I know, I know. I'm a horrible sweating freak." He exhaled, frustrated.

"While I would normally jump at the chance to continue teasing you, I think now is not the best time to discuss your glands," Mindy said, gesturing to the claustrophobic interior of the cab. Danny glared at her and continued breathing heavily. Mindy sighed, trying to think of other ways to distract her clammy seat buddy.

"What did your mom say on the phone?" she asked. Maybe if she knew what was going on, she could calm him down. Mindy had no idea why they were rushing out to Staten Island, but she knew if Danny was freaking out, it was important.

"I couldn't really tell. I heard something about Uncle Joe, an insurance card, and then it cut out. I dunno. There was a lot of yelling in the background," he said, a crinkle forming between his eyebrows.

"Okay, well, I guess we will just see when we get there." Mindy replied. Danny continued to fidget, his bouncing knee now a place to wipe his palms. Mindy reached out and clamped down on one. "Stop." She ordered. "It's gonna be okay." Danny stared at their hands, but ceased. She started to let go.

Danny's grip tightened. Mindy nodded, understanding, and grabbed their clasped (and now slightly damp) hands with her other as well.

Before long, they were pulling up in front of a two-story blue house. Danny shot out of the cab, running up the steps. Mindy quickly paid the driver, following behind.

"Ma? Ma?" Danny flung open the door and burst inside, calling upstairs. "Where are you?"

"In here," A slightly shaking voice answered from somewhere in the back of the house. Danny stormed through the living room to a yellow kitchen, Mindy close at his heels.

"Ma! What's the matter? What's wrong?" Danny huffed as he held onto the woman sitting at the table. She had a handkerchief in her right hand and a rosary in the left.

"It's your Uncle Joe," she replied tearfully. "He's been taken to the hospital. He had a stroke."

Danny fell into the seat across from her. Mindy lingered in the doorway, not wanting to intrude but also wanting to comfort her friend.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Danny asked, still breathing heavy from the adrenaline. "Which hospital is he at? St. Vincent's?"

"Yes, he's in the ER now. The EMT's told us he'll be getting a CT scan, and then we'll know more." She blew her nose. Danny reached out to his mother, grabbing the hand that held the rosary.

"Well, I'll go check up on him. I'll look at his charts. I have a buddy there from residency-" he started to stand.

"No, Daniel, let them do their job. We'll visit him once he's stable." she smiled weakly. Danny let out a frustrated huff, but stayed put. The woman turned to Mindy. "I'm sorry, we're being so rude."

"Oh, I don't mean to intrude," Mindy held up her hands, trying not to interrupt.

"Please, a distraction would be welcome," Danny's mom replied. "I'm Maria Castellano."

"I'm Mindy Lahiri. I work at the practice with Danny," Mindy explained. Mrs. Castellano reached out and grabbed Mindy's hands, patting them. She smiled at her with knowing in her eyes. Mindy chalked it up to emotions running high and a general Italian-woman-battiness.

"You want something to drink?" Mrs. Castellano asked, glancing between Mindy and Danny.

"Ma, I'll get it," Danny offered, starting to get up. He still looked a little crazy-eyed, but his mother's presence was calming.

"No, you sit," she ordered. Danny plopped back down. "Coffee? Tea? Scotch?" She winked, shuffling over to the fridge. Taped to its front were pictures of what Mindy could only assume were a young Danny and Richie. "Tea's fine," Mindy replied as she walked over to the display. "Is this you, Danny? You were so cute! And – "

"Pudgy?" Mrs. Castellano smiled. "Yes, my Daniel loved to eat. Still does, he just goes to that gym all the time now."

"Ma, come on, don't embarrass me," Danny replied, looking every bit the abashed son.

"You should be proud of your appetite!" She replied. She turned to Mindy. "He was always being made fun of when he was younger, you know. The neighborhood kids used to tease him. They'd call him Danny with a Fanny!" She laughed, and Danny groaned, burying his head in his hands. Mindy heard a muffled "Maaaa" escape from where he hid.

Mrs. Castellano turned back to Mindy, smiling. "But now he's a big shot doctor in the city, and handsome as Sinatra himself!" She beamed with pride, grabbing his chin. Mindy laughed, imagining her pinching his cheeks at his graduation, so happy to see her son succeed. "Would you like to see some baby pictures?" she asked, looking at Mindy with all the love of a mother.

Mindy gasped. "Oh, definitely. I could use some new material-"

"No." Danny got up, stepping between Mindy as his mother. "No, Ma, we're not, we're not showing Mindy my baby pictures."

Mindy turned to Danny, all big, innocent eyes. "But Danny, how can we run a successful practice without truly knowing who we work with?" Mrs. Castellano smirked as Danny stormed back to his seat.

"I guess we'll take a trip down memory lane another time," Mrs. Castellano whispered to Mindy, winking. Mindy nodded excitedly as Danny watched them warily out of the corner of his eye.

"You hungry? I've got some meatloaf in the fridge we can heat up," Mrs. Castellano offered. "I'm sorry I don't have much else. We just got back from visiting my brother in Philly."

"Ma, sit down. I'll make us something." Danny got up, guiding his mother back to the table. He grabbed a pot and pan from the bottom cupboard, placing them on the counter. He moved so naturally around the kitchen, it was as if he had never left. Mrs. Castellano nudged Mindy, smiling at her son.

Danny continued his preparations, ignorant of the two women watching his every move. He glanced in the fridge, and pulled out some green beans and the meatloaf. Juggling the two items, he added a stick of butter, rushing over to the countertop and spilling them onto it. He reached high into the pantry, grabbing a bag of parsley (homegrown, of course), garlic, and a large loaf of Italian bread. Mindy followed him around the kitchen, noting how relaxed he seemed for once.

"Looks like you didn't quite get out of that cooking lesson," Danny smirked as he handed her the bread. He grabbed a cutting board and knife and placed them in front of her. "Slice that in half."

Mindy pretended to be disappointed. In all actuality, while she had loved the gelato, she'd wished she'd gotten to cook with Danny. She loved their little recipes and disasters. Danny glanced at her now, a quick smile appearing on his face. Mindy smiled back, glad he was tame again.

"You gonna stare at me all night, or are you gonna cut some bread?" Danny teased, breaking Mindy out of her inner monologue. She shoved him lightly, but moved over to the counter with her supplies. While Mindy unwrapped the bread, Danny filled the pot up with water and placed it on the stove. He cranked up the heat and covered it.

Mrs. Castellano was curious. "Did you say cooking lessons? Oh, dear, do you not know how to cook? My Daniel will fix that in a second." She shook her head with a gleam in her eyes. Mindy didn't like the way she looked at her like she was scheming something, but she seemed harmless enough. Mindy turned back to the bread and focused on cutting it into equal parts.

A few minutes passed in silence. Mindy held up the two halves of the now-cut bread, victorious. "Good," Danny affirmed. "Now we're gonna melt the butter." He grabbed another small pot and put it on the stove. He took the stick of butter and a small knife, handing them to Mindy. "You're gonna cut it into thin slices and dump it in the pot," he instructed, turning back to the green beans. He snapped off the ends, tossing them into a bowl.

"Like this?" Mindy asked. The butter, still half frozen, looked like an animal had attacked it. Mindy admitted that her attempted cuts might have been a little choppy, but really, what did she have to work with?

"Here, let me see," Danny shook his head and rolled the butter back into its wrapper. He grabbed her hands, startling Mindy. He started rubbing them back and forth, showing her how to heat the butter up. Mindy looked up at him, relishing the contact before realizing his mother was watching them with a trademark Castellano smirk.

"Uh, I think I got it Danny," she broke off suddenly. Danny shrugged, continuing to prepare the beans. Mindy cut the butter, plopping it into the pot and turning on the heat.

"I'm gonna grab my slippers," Mrs. Castellano said as she exited the room. "You two call if you need anything." The pair nodded.

After waiting a few seconds, Mindy turned to Danny. "She seems nice," she offered.

"Oh, don't let her fool you," Danny laughed. "She's a spitfire. But she's down right now, and when us Castellanos are down, we cook."

"I could live with that." Mindy smiled at Danny. Then she remembered why they were in the kitchen, in Danny's childhood home. "How are you handling everything?"

"Good, I guess, I'm just a little shaken up. My Uncle Joe's my dad's brother. Don't know why he stuck around when my father didn't," he added bitterly. "But either way, he's family."

"I'm sure he'll be okay. They'll finish the tests soon," Mindy replied. She glanced down. "The butter's melted."

"Good." Danny stopped snapping green beans for a second. "Now, crinkle the parsley like I showed you when we made the lasagna." Mindy did as told. "Good. You're not as horrible a cook as I once thought you were." He smirked. "Now grate the garlic – but pay attention this time!" He looked at her knowingly.

"Yeah, yeah, dad, I got it," Mindy rolled her eyes. She concentrated though, and completed the task without exfoliating any of her fingers.

"Danny! Look! I did it!" She jumped up and down.

"Congrats," Danny smirked. He brought his bowl of beans over to the boiling pot of water. Placing in it what Mindy imagined to be a torture device, he dumped the veggies in and covered the pot. "Steamer," he explained, maneuvering Mindy out of the way of the butter concoction.

"Alright, now we're gonna take the butter and paint it onto the bread." He put the pot onto a holder.

"Um, excuse me? Paint?" Mindy looked down at her clothes. "I was not told to wear my artistic attire."

"Relax," Danny smirked. "You're just gonna take a paint brush and brush it along the bread. Like this, see?" he demonstrated for her. The bread was now stained yellow, and Mindy could smell the garlic wafting up from it. Danny took the pan and put it in the oven, setting the timer for 10 minutes. "Simple." He shrugged.

A timer went off, signaling that the beans were done. Danny pulled them off the stove. "Now we're gonna drain 'em," he explained, pouring them into a colander. He shook the basket, accidentally flinging drops of water onto Mindy's face. Mindy began to protest when Danny reached up and grabbed her chin.

"Here, you got a little –" he gently swiped his thumb along her cheek, rubbing away the water. Mindy closed her eyes as she felt the calluses on his finger brush against her skin. "There. Better," he said quietly, his hand still lingering. Mindy gazed up into his eyes, about to lean in when –

"Dinner ready?" Mrs. Castellano asked, coming back into the kitchen. Danny and Mindy sprang apart like two teenagers caught kissing on the front porch. Mrs. Castellano chuckled with a devilish look in her eyes. Mindy had a feeling that she knew she had interrupted something.

"Yeah, uh, just gotta season the beans and heat the meatloaf," Danny explained in a high-pitched voice, coughing guiltily. He quickly threw some olive oil, ground pepper, and salt on the beans, and set them on the table.

Mindy sat down next to Mrs. Castellano, anxiously sipping her water. What was I thinking? Mindy asked herself. Was I really about to kiss Danny Castellano? Willingly? She shook her head, dashing the thought.

Danny handed Mindy the meatloaf, pulling the garlic bread from the oven and slicing it with ease. He sat down at the table, foot brushing Mindy's as he settled in. He glanced at her. When he saw her looking, he quickly looked away, trying to appear interested in his mother.

"Well, should we say grace?" Mrs. Castellano asked. She grabbed Mindy and Danny's hands, bowing her head and closing her eyes. The two doctors looked at each other, hesitating before Danny reached for her. Danny bowed his head, leaving Mindy to watch him as Mrs. Castellano prayed.

"Dear Lord, thank you for all your great blessings on this household. Please protect your son Joseph, as well as your children Danny and Mindy. Thank you for bringing this wonderful guest into our Danny's life –" she squeezed Mindy's hand and smiled, "and into our home, and thank you for this wonderful meal they prepared. Amen."

She let go of Mindy and Danny's hands. Danny lingered for a second, then slowly let go and smiled. Mindy felt her heart threaten to burst through her chest.

"Mangia fa grosso!" Mrs. Castellano announced, ending the moment. She started to cut the meatloaf.

Danny looked at Mindy. "Eat so you get big," he explained.

Mindy nodded. She could get used to this kind of fine dining. She grabbed some garlic bread and began to chew thoughtfully, enjoying the warmth coming from the people around her.


	8. Chapter 8

Mindy eased open Danny's office door, preparing herself for his sad puppy face. His uncle was stable, but Danny was still sensitive. She'd leave the office at 9 at night, and he'd still be there, eating takeout and doing paperwork. Normally, Mindy knew he would've raced home to catch How It's Made. She was worried, and knew just what to do to cheer him up.

"I have a project for you." She sauntered into the room.

Danny looked up from his file. "Min, I don't have time to paste pictures of Michael Fassbender onto your vision board." He smirked.

"Ohmigod! That's what I forgot!" Mindy quickly jotted herself a note, Danny shaking his head. "But really, I have a great idea."

"What is it now?" Danny begrudgingly asked.

"Two words: crème brulee."

Danny immediately began protesting. "Oh no. You are not ready for that level of dessert."

"Come on, Danny! I can do it!" Mindy begged. "I've been watching the Food Network and it doesn't seem that hard."

"No." he replied, standing up. "You're gonna whip the cream too much, or overfill a ramekin or something. My answer is no, and that's final." He started to move past her towards the lobby.

"Danny." Mindy caught his arm, stopping him, voice soft. "You haven't been out of this office all week. You can't keep dwelling on your uncle."

Danny yanked his arm back, defensive. "Whaddya mean? I'm fine. I'm not worried at all." Mindy scoffed.

"Okay, fine," Danny shrugged. "Maybe I have been burying myself in my work. But there's a lot of paperwork to do. It's not all fun and babies, you know."

"Yes, Danny, I do know, being a licensed gynecologists myself." She rolled her eyes. "And you're making excuses. So I'm coming over tonight." Danny started to protest, but Mindy had already turned and walked away. He sighed, handing Betsy the file and shutting his office door.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Danny was lying on his couch, staring at the ceiling when the doorbell rang. He wasn't used to being in his apartment when it was still light out. He slowly got up and answered the door.

"Hello, my under-the-weather friend. I brought supplies!" she held up two paper bags. Even Mindy's preparations couldn't bring a true smile to Danny's face. He nodded and moved out of the way for her to enter the apartment.

"I figured you could use something sweet," Mindy said, placing the bags on the counter. She pulled out a box of hot chocolate. "It's the kind with mini marshmallows!" she cheered. "Do I look like Vanna White? I've been practicing my presenting." She struck a pose.

Danny half-smirked, replying, "Yeah, it's real good. Thanks, Min." He took the box from her and grabbed two mugs from the cupboard, filling up a teapot and setting it on the stove.

"While you make us the hot choco-latte, I'll get started on the real dessert." Danny didn't respond. She turned to him. "Okay, Danny. Come on. You've got to get out of this funk. You're uncle is gonna be fine. He's stable. There's nothing you can do, so why not focus on the awesome, hilarious friend with the yummy sweets that's in your apartment right now?"

Danny nodded. "You're right, Min. I'm sorry." He shook his head and stretched his arms. "Alright. I'm ready. I'm here."

Mindy smiled. "Okay, so I looked up the recipe on the Food Network's website. Totally legit this time." She glanced at Danny, who chuckled.

He grabbed the carton of cream from one of the bags. "Oh," he sounded surprised. "You got the good stuff."

"Yep. I figured we'd better go big or go home." She smiled, proud. "So, what first?"

"Aren't you the one leading this 'project'?" Danny smirked, but grabbed a saucepan from beneath the stove and put it on top. He took the recipe from Mindy and quickly read it over. "Easy, good." He took the carton of heavy cream and poured it into the saucepan.

"Wait! How'd you know that was the right amount?" Mindy panicked.

"By reading." Danny pointed to the corner of the carton, where Mindy saw 0.25 QT printed. She opened her mouth in realization and appreciation. Danny smirked victoriously, chucking the carton into the trash.

"Now, I'm gonna split and scrape the vanilla bean," Danny stated. "I don't trust you with this level of delicacy." Mindy rolled her eyes but watched over his shoulder as he worked. "Could you not breath on me?" He asked, annoyed. Mindy moved back a few steps, but not far. "Okay, we're done," Danny announced, dumping the bean into the saucepan as well. He turned up the heat.

"What next?" he asked. Mindy looked at the recipe. "Whisk together half a cup of sugar and the egg yolks until light in color."

"Alright, I think we can handle that." Danny smiled. He brought over a large mixing bowl. Mindy grabbed a measuring cup from the pantry, remembering where Danny had gotten them from their earlier lessons. She filled the cup up with sugar, shaking it to even the top. She dumped it into the bowl. "Now the eggs. Watch me." Danny tapped the egg on the corner of the bowl, cracking it exactly in half. He gracefully opened it into the mixture and threw it in the trash.

"Woah, Danny! How did you do that?" Mindy was amazed.

"Practice." Danny replied, smirking. "Now you try."

Mindy took a deep breath. She tapped the egg just as Danny had. Her line was not quite as straight, but it was still useable. She dumped it into the bowl, bringing along a few pieces of eggshell. She reached in and scooped them out as Danny looked on with judgment, deciding to crack the rest of the eggs himself. He handed her a whisk after she had washed her hands.

They worked together without any disasters, adding the boiling cream to the egg mix. Soon, they were portioning the mixture into ramekins on a pan and placing it in the oven.

"There." Mindy said, satisfied. "See? I can totally handle crème brulee. I should go on Master Chef!" she said excitedly.

"Calm down, Ramsey." Danny shook his head. 'They're not done yet."

"I know, but how hard could melting sugar be?" Mindy asked. Danny looked smug, knowing what lay ahead, but just shook his head. Mindy shrugged and jumped up to sit on the counter.

"Come on, people eat there," Danny chastised. Mindy huffed but slid back down.

The teapot on the stove whistled, causing Danny to rush over and grab it. He dumped two spoonfuls of hot cocoa into the mugs, pouring steaming water over them. He handed one to Mindy with a spoon, stirring his.

Mindy blew on the top of hers. "Have you talked to your mom recently?" She asked, reveling in the warmth escaping from her mug.

"Yeah. She really liked meeting you, for some strange reason," Danny smirked.

"Parents always love me," Mindy stated matter-of-factly. "I mean, I'm smart, gorgeous, and funny. And I have the fashion sense of Sarah Jessica Parker." Danny rolled his eyes. "Drink your hot chocolate," he replied. But Mindy could see him smiling behind his mug.

"Maybe you could come out for Easter," he said suddenly. Mindy looked up, startled. Danny stared into his mug, afraid to see her reaction to his proposal.

"I would like that," Mindy replied, surprising him. A quick flash of a smile crossed Danny's face before he shrugged it off, trying to appear nonchalant. "But we're not bringing anything you bake," he added, earning a sour look from Mindy.

"Fine. We can bring crème brulee!" she suggested, setting her mug down on the counter and rushing over to the oven. The centers were bubbling. "They're done!" Mindy called over to Danny, who grabbed his Grandma Gloves (as Mindy now affectionately referred to them) and took the tray of ramekins out. He set it on the stove to cool. "Now what?" he asked.

"The recipe says to…refrigerate them for two hours?! What?" Mindy's voiced squeaked upon the realization that this was a long-term project.

"Wow. Well, uh, I guess we can watch a movie." Danny offered. "Or I could just finish them tomorrow on my own…" he trailed off.

"Oh no. These were my idea, and I want to be here to reap the rewards!" Mindy put her hands on her hips. "We're gonna watch a movie. And I get to pick," she stated, marching over to Danny's media center.

She threw open the doors of the cabinet and scanned Danny's minimal selection. "Miracle? Scarface? Really?"

"What?" Danny ambled over to the TV. "They're classics!"

"The Godfather? Well, I guess it is your Bible…"

"The Bible is my Bible." Danny shook his head. "There are plenty of good movies in there. Just pick one."

Mindy gasped, pulling a DVD from the cabinet and holding it up like it was gold. "What?" Danny asked, confused by her dramatic change in demeanor. Then he saw the movie. He mentally cursed himself for not going through the ones Christina had left after she'd moved out.

"The Proposal." He groaned, putting his head in his hands. Mindy, giddy, clapped and put the DVD in the player. She skipped over to the couch, grabbing a pillow to hold onto. Danny collapsed into the seat next to her, hanging his head.

"Danny, quit your grumping. Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds together are like mac and cheese. Mike and Ike. America and freedom!" She said excitedly.

"Well I dunno about all that, but I guess I can give it a try," Danny settled. He folded his arms. "Let's get this over with."

Mindy swatted Danny and pressed play.


	9. Chapter 9

Mindy startled awake. She was leaning on Danny, whose arms were still crossed. The light of the blue screen illuminated his face, for once not wrinkled with judgment and grumpiness, just at peace.

Mindy shrieked, grabbing his bicep and started shaking him violently. "Danny! Danny wake up! We fell asleep!"

Danny jumped out of his skin. "What? What's happening? Did Mrs. Johnson go into labor?" he asked, looking around frantically.

"No!" Mindy let go of him. "We fell asleep watching the movie! We missed everything!"

"Oh. Darn." Danny said, not sounding upset in the slightest. Mindy hit him with a pillow, grabbing her phone. The screen lit up to show several texts from Morgan (probably pictures of more strays he'd found, asking if they could keep just one more in the office) as well as the time: 2:04. Mindy screamed.

"Would you stop doing that?" Danny had closed his eyes and leaned back into the couch.

"Danny! It is 2 in the morning!"

"You don't say." Danny was halfway to sleep already. Mindy shook him again.

"Alright, alright. So it's 2 AM. Whaddya want me to do about it? Call the NYPD, tell them to turn back the clocks in Times Square?" he laughed at his joke.

"You know, that's not such a bad idea…There would be tons of hot policemen around," Mindy pondered for a second, then shook her head. "No. No policemen."

Danny sat up reluctantly. "Okay, whaddya want, you wanna stay here?"

Mindy looked up at him hopefully. Danny sighed, but got up. "Fine. You can stay in my room. I'll sleep on the couch." He started to shuffle towards his bedroom to grab some blankets.

"Danny?" He turned back towards Mindy, who was looking at him, calculating.

"Can I borrow some pajamas? I'll probably be swimming in them, but I can't sleep in this." Mindy motioned to her dress.

"Why? What's wrong with what you're wearing now?" Danny asked.

"This is from Barney's." Mindy scoffed, as if that explained it all. Danny shook his head, muttering and continuing on his way.

A few minutes later, he returned with a stack of clothes. He tossed them at Mindy, who was on her phone.

"Oooh, Danny's a plaid man! Should I Instagram these?" Mindy teased, holding up the pajama pants.

"Just put 'em on," Danny replied, clearly about to fall over asleep. He had put in a lot of hours this week, and was sleeping very comfortably before Mindy's after-midnight crisis. He waved her off, starting to splay out on the couch.

Mindy sauntered over to the bathroom. She closed the door, quickly shooting a text to Gwen. Staying at Danny's tonight, she said. Pray for me that I don't wake up in the Mob. She quickly changed into the tshirt and pants that Danny had provided, glad she had worn a pair of full underwear that day. Or, I guess yesterday now, Mindy corrected herself. She looked in the mirror, liking how homey she felt. She could smell Danny's detergent in the shirt, sniffing the shoulder and imagining him washing his clothes, dumping Tide into the machine.

Mindy grabbed his toothbrush from the holder and after a careful search, found his toothpaste. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him, she reasoned. Plus, once you washed the toothbrush, it was like no one had used it. She was just rinsing when she heard a bang on the door.

"You done yet?" Danny asked. Mindy jumped, opening the door. "Can't a lady have a moment to herself?"

"Sure, a lady can," Danny breezed back, squeezing into the room beside her. He wet his toothbrush, and squeezed some toothpaste onto it, brushing vigorously. Mindy stared.

"Wha?" Danny asked, mouth full of suds.

"Nothing." Mindy slinked out of the small bathroom. She was enjoying watching Danny in his natural state, excited that she'd gotten away with the Great Toothbrush Heist.

Danny finished up, walking over to the living room. "So I guess I'll be on the couch, and if you need anything, don't ask." He smirked.

"Aren't Italians supposed to be hospitable?" Mindy shot back.

"You're thinking of Italian women," he replied, heading towards the couch. He paused. "Well. Goodnight."

"Sweet dreams, Danny!" Mindy called as she shut the bedroom door. She got a head start, running and then leaping onto the bed. From the living room, Mindy heard a moan. Danny knew exactly what she'd done. She giggled, burrowing under the covers and checking Facebook one last time before shutting off her phone.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Danny was awoken by screaming and a loud beeping. He jumped off the couch to see Mindy frantically swatting at something on the stove. That's when he realized there was smoke in the air.

"Mindy! What's happening?!" he shouted as he rounded the kitchen island. Mindy was using a towel to try and dampen the flames.

"I wanted to show you that I could torch the crème brulee by myself!" she yelled back, battling the dessert.

"And look how that turned out!" Danny screamed, rushing to the sink and filling the teapot from last night.

"I don't know think now is the right time to question my autonomy!" Mindy shouted as Danny threw the water onto the flames. The fire fizzled out, causing both parties to sigh with relief. Danny grabbed a chair from the kitchen table and stood on it, finally silencing the fire alarm. He got down and glared at Mindy.

"Crème brulee is done." She offered.

"Yes. Well done. Very well done." He gestured to the burnt dessert, staring at her with incredulity. "What were you thinking?!"

"I was thinking that I could show you how much I've learned during our lessons," Mindy replied, looking ashamed. "And I saw on Giada's show that she used a torch, but I couldn't find yours, so I just decided to use a candlelighter, then the next thing I knew the sugar just lit up –"

"We never went over pyrotechnics!" Danny cried, now waving a hand to clear the smoke.

"I know, Danny. I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

"Like hell you won't. There's no way I'm cooking with you after this!" He stormed to the window, flinging it open to let out the smoke. Mindy looked down, feeling guilty.

They stood at odds for a few silent minutes. Danny turned around and sighed.

"Look, Min, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I know you were just trying to impress me."

"Um, excuse me? I wasn't trying to impress you." But it lacked her usual fervor.

"Yeah, I think you were," Danny halfsmirked.

She looked to the side. "Okay, Danny, whatever you say. I was just practicing my baking abilities."

"And how able you are," Danny replied sarcastically. "Now sit. I'll make us some nice, unheated, breakfast." He took two bowls from the cupboard and poured them some cereal, grabbing the milk from the fridge. They ate in silence.

"I really am sorry, Danny."

"I know," he replied. "I'm sorry I yelled at you." Mindy nodded in acknowledgement, digging into her breakfast. Her phone beeped from the counter.

"Tweester chiming in?" he asked, mouth full of cereal. Mindy got up to check the message.

It was Gwen. Danny's?! Honey, are you in one of your Desperation Phases? Call me ASAP! Several worried smiley faces followed. Mindy locked the phone and left it on the countertop.

"No, just my Google Alert on Taylor Lautner going off," she lied. She didn't feel like answering Gwen right then.

"Who's she?" Danny asked. Mindy laughed, shaking her head. They continued to eat their food, both too involved in thinking about the morning's events to keep up the conversation.

Danny set down his spoon. "You wanna go get some real breakfast?" he asked.

"Um, I thought we were having a real breakfast…" Mindy trailed off, looking confused. "I mean, this is fancier than what I eat on the way to work…"

"This is not a real breakfast." Danny stood up. "And come on, you can't keep eating those sugary bear claws. They're horrible for you." He shook his head.

"Get dressed. We're going out."


	10. Chapter 10

"So is this place like, casual or semi-formal?" Mindy called from her closet. Danny was sitting on her couch, waiting for her to pick out something to wear. She had immediately refused to borrow another pair of his shorts and tshirt, claiming that she "had already suffered through gym class in middle school and was never going back". Danny checked his watch impatiently.

"Who cares?" he asked. "By the time we get there, they'll be serving dinner. Just grab whatever sparkly, impractical outfit catches your eye this time and put it on."

Mindy poked her head out of the closet. "Danny, a brunch outfit is the perfect combination of classy and fun. I can't just throw on a pencil skirt and some stilettos."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Whatever, it's not like we're meeting the president. You have five minutes before I'm leaving without you." Mindy shrieked, diving back into her walk-in. She reappeared a few minutes later in a crisp floral skirt and matching white gloves. "I'm ready," she announced.

"Finally." Danny turned around. He took her in, whistling, breathless for a moment. "Wow. You look great, Min."

"Thank you," she smiled, swirling her skirt around her happily. "See what happens when you take time to think about your clothes?" Danny rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Alright, Grace Kelly. Time to eat."

__________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Danny took a sip of his orange juice. They had gotten to the café just as they stopped serving brunch, but he'd convinced the waitress to get them a couple of breakfast menus. Mindy watched as he charmed his way into their meal, smiling that crooked smile at the young girl. She gave Mindy the stink eye as she left to get them some biscuits.

"Wow Danny, this place is nice," Mindy noted as she looked around at the décor. They were seated on the patio, light music trickling out from the speakers. She fiddled with her napkin.

"Yeah, well, Christina used to like to come here and I remembered the eggs being good…" Danny trailed off, lost in memories.

"If they have your approval, I'm sure they are," Mindy assured him, trying to take his mind off the past. "So, what should I get? The blueberry pancakes sound good, but if I get the omelet I can get bacon in it too."

"Get what you want. I'm going for the pancakes," Danny shrugged. "It's all good."

"Oh, Danny! If you get the pancakes, then we can share!" Mindy said excitedly.

"What? No. I'm getting the pancakes, if you want pancakes, get your own. I mean, there are germs and who knows if you're sick, the city has so many people –"

"Danny, this is not the third grade. I do not have cooties." Mindy shot him a look.

"Fine, fine, whatever. I know you'd just try to sneak them when I've turned my back anyways." He smirked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Mindy tried to feign ignorance and failed. She glanced at Danny over the top of the menu. He was smiling, looking off into the distance.

The waitress came back, somehow managing to take their order while sneering at Mindy. She shook it off, refusing to think about the fact that the girl seemed jealous of her meal with Danny.

"So, how's your family?" Danny asked, forcing Mindy to rejoin the present. "Um, good," she replied. Danny wasn't one for small talk, but they'd spent so much time together in the past day that they had caught up on each other's lives for the most part.

"How's Rishi? Still in school?"

"Yeah, although I don't know for how much longer. He's on Spotify now," Mindy looked worried and proud at the same time.

"Spotify? What's that, some new app where you play Hide-And-Seek?"

Mindy laughed. "No, Danny, it's a music thing – you know what, I'll just show you when we get home."

"Home?" Danny looked confused.

"Um, I mean, when we get back to your place." Mindy coughed, cringing at her flub. She'd been spending so much time at Danny's that it really felt like a second home to her now.

"Oh, okay. Right. Home." Danny replied awkwardly. They both sipped their drinks, searching their brains for something else to talk about. The waitress arrived with their food, setting it down with a clunk in front of Mindy, who replied with a sarcastic "thank you".

"It smells so good!" She said, breathing in the scent of bacon. She began to cut her steaming omelet with her fork. Danny was already digging in, nodding and chewing.

"Yeah," he replied, mouth full. "Their omelets are almost as good as my grandmother's." Mindy smiled, imaging a young Danny sitting at the kitchen table in the blue house, waiting excitedly for his breakfast. She giggled.

"What?" Danny asked, looking up from his half-finished plate.

"Nothing. Just imaging you when you were little, eating your weight in omelet."

"Oh, come on, I didn't do that, I mean, yeah, I ate a lot, but it was more like cookies than eggs," he grimaced.

Mindy continued in her narrator voice. "I can see it now; looking over your grandmother's shoulder as she showed you how to crack eggs, bouncing with excitement as they bubbled on the pan, knowing you wanted to be able to do that one day-"

"Alright, that's enough. I wasn't inspired by some fried egg to become a good cook," Danny interrupted. "Stop making my life into one of your movies."

"I'll just ask Maria," Mindy replied coyly. Danny groaned, leaning back in his chair. Mindy took the opportunity to steal a bite of pancake.

"Hey, that's my – " Danny protested as Mindy took a bite. She moaned. It was so delicous.

"Ohmigod. Danny, those are amazing." She grabbed his plate, cutting half of the remaining pancakes and scraping them onto hers.

"Fine, take my food, it's not like I was hungry or anything," Danny replied sarcastically. He smirked, though, and reached over to taste her omelet. A smile flashed across his face, quickly disappearing as he focused on something behind Mindy.

"Danny? What's wrong?" Mindy turned around, mouthing dropping at who she saw.

"Mindy?" Tom asked, walking up to their table. Mindy saw a woman sitting a few tables away, staring after him.

"Tom, hey," Mindy stood up and gave him an awkward hug. Danny glanced between the two, feeling the tension.

"Danny," Tom nodded, shaking his hand. "So, I didn't know you two were together. Can't say I saw it coming. I mean, you guys are always fighting in the doctor's lounge. But I guess opposites attract." He laughed.

Both Mindy and Danny stuttered. "Oh, we're not, together –" "Who us? Dating? Very funny, that's just ridiculous."

"Oh." Tom looked apologetic. "I'm sorry. It's just that you two were having brunch at this romantic café, and Mindy, I know you like doctors –" he gestured to himself, looking smug. "But that's my mistake. So, are you guys seeing anybody?" he asked, looking at Mindy specifically.

"I've, uh, got some guys waiting for me to call," Mindy lied, not wanting Tom to know she'd just been broken up with. Danny shook his head, sad to see her in this position.

"Well, we were just finishing up, so maybe you should head back to your lady friend," Danny suggested, effectively ending the conversation. Tom nodded and offered his goodbyes as he headed back to his table. Mindy sighed. "Thank you," she mouthed, quietly eating her omelet.

"Hey, you know, you're better off without him," Danny said, looking at Mindy intensely. She shrugged, obviously not agreeing. "No, I mean it Min." Danny felt like she needed to hear this. "You're a beautiful, smart woman that any man would be lucky to have. He and that Josh guy are missing out." Mindy beamed. She grabbed another bite of his pancakes and smiled.

Once they had both finished, the waitress came over. "Can I get you anything else?" she turned to Danny, clearly not wanting Mindy's opinion. "No, I think we're fine," Danny replied, looking at Mindy and smiling. "Okay. One check or two?" the girl asked, trying to test Danny's availability. "One." He didn't look up. Mindy began to object, but he just shook his head. The waitress walked off, disappointed.

"Glad I could be an out," Mindy said, a little disappointed herself. She knew Danny had just used her as a beard.

"Whaddya mean?" Danny asked, confused. "I'm paying. I'm just trying to be nice."

"Um, Danny, the waitress totally wants you," Mindy looked at him like he was crazy. "She's been giving you eyes the whole meal."

"Oh, really? I didn't notice. I dunno, I'm not really into that sorta thing," Danny shrugged, uninterested. Mindy smiled, glad to know he didn't care.

"Well, thanks for paying. I'll get the check next time," she said.

"Don't worry about it," Danny replied, leaning back in his chair. "You deserve to be taken out." Mindy's insides squeezed. Was Danny really being chivalrous?

"You ready to go?" he asked, getting up as he left a tip. Mindy nodded, scooting her chair backwards. The waitress gave them a fake smile as they left.

Soon, they were walking up the steps to Mindy's apartment. Mindy was nervous, dropping her keys at the door. Danny laughed and picked them up for her. "With that aim, maybe I should be the one doing the surgeries," Danny joked, smirking. Mindy half-laughed back, opening the door. Danny leaned on the doorframe, watching as she set down her purse.

"Well, I gotta get going. I've got some cleanup to do back at my place." He looked at her pointedly.

"Sorry," Mindy replied softly. She wasn't sure why she felt so shy, but she could barely speak.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Danny asked, standing up and looking at her worriedly. Tears began to gather in Mindy's eyes. The brunch had been so nice. She'd forgotten what it was like to go out and be taken care of. She didn't want to ruin things now.

"Hey," Danny said, gathering her in a hug. "Everything's fine. You didn't ruin my apartment, it's just a little scorched." Mindy could feel him chuckle. He stepped back to look at her. He brushed her hair behind her ear, looking at her worriedly. Mindy's breath coming out in little puffs. Danny stared into her big eyes, searching for an answer.

And then they were kissing.


	11. Chapter 11

Mindy's body was on fire. Every hair was standing on end, every breath shallow, electricity shooting through her veins. Danny's lips were soft, like before, but this time, there was something different behind them. A need, a want.

Danny's hands found their way to the small of Mindy's back, pressing her into his chest. She let out a small oomf!, as she landed, loving every second. She pulled him close by his belt loops and wove her hands through his hair. He moaned, angling his head to kiss her more deeply as she backed up into her apartment. The door shut with a bang.

Danny, taking that as a signal, moved them over to the counter where he lifted Mindy up and onto a stool. His eyes were black with desire, breath coming out in huffs. They crashed into each other, much less careful now. Mindy gasped and ran her thumb along his jaw. She drew circles on his back with the other hand, right between his shoulder blades. Danny closed his eyes and leaned into her further. Teasing her, he started planting a trail of kisses along the neckline of her tank. Mindy took a second to thank god that she had changed into one of her sexy bras instead of the one with the pizza stain on it, then reached up and grabbed Danny, bringing him back to her lips.

His hands began their dance again, rubbing up and down Mindy's back. She squeezed closer, wrapping her legs around him. She could feel his muscles stretch as he touched every inch of her. Danny stopped for a second, a smile in his eyes. He kissed her gently on the lips, so light that Mindy could barely feel him. Then he returned to the very important task of exploring Mindy's neck.

Danny was testing the sensitivity of her earlobe when her phone started to ring. "Voicemail," he growled, voice deep and full of lust. Mindy ignored it, attending to the area between his neck and shoulder. The phone continued to shriek, demanding to be answered. Mindy groaned, mentally cursing her love for catchy ringtones. "Why don't you have a landline?" Danny asked between kisses. "Who even has a landline anymore?!" Mindy replied, incredulous. Danny stopped and looked at her like she was crazy. "Landlines are important. Not all of us are attached to our phones at the hip. And what if there's an emergency and your cell phone is dead? You –" Mindy ended his ramblings with a kiss. The phone finally fell silent, both parties too preoccupied to care.

A few seconds later, Danny's phone started to buzz in his pocket. He groaned, trying to ignore it. Mindy let out a frustrated huff but continued her appreciation of Danny's magnetic lips. By the fifth straight minute of ringing, however, Danny couldn't take it anymore.

"Hello?" his voice was gruff and he was panting. The room was quiet enough for Mindy to hear the person on the whispering to someone else other line.

"Hey Dr. C, it's Morgan." Mindy and Danny froze. "Are you hanging out at the dog park? It sounds like you've got some heavy breathers there!" Morgan laughed. Mindy quickly covered her mouth with her hand, refusing to exhale. "Anyways, I know you never gave me your home number, but I went through the entire phonebook and called every Castellano in there. I was wondering if I could get a ride? I'm stuck at my pottery class out in Brooklyn, and I made a new friend Muriel who can't drive because her license expired 15 years ago. So if you could pick me up, I'd really appreciate it. In exchange, I will let you have the masterpiece I made in class today." Danny sighed, listening. Mindy stared at the phone, waiting for his answer.

"Yeah, Morgan, I'll grab us a cab." Danny relented. He looked up at Mindy, tortured.

"Thanks, Dr. C! You're the best. Really. You've got such great bone structure – " Danny snapped the phone shut, cutting Morgan off.

"So." He glanced at Mindy.

"So." She replied, straightening her blouse. "You've gotta go. Can't keep Muriel waiting."

"Listen, Min, about what just happened –" He gestured between them. He wasn't sure what it meant, but he knew he wanted it. Whatever It was. Danny grabbed her hand, trying to look her in the eyes.

"Don't worry about it." She refused to meet his gaze. Danny dropped his hand. So maybe it was just some random hookup. Maybe she was just feeling lonely, and he was around.

He sighed. "I should-," "Yeah," Mindy interrupted, still not looking at him.

"And it would look weird if you came with me, cuz –" "Mhm, definitely." Mindy glanced up. "Don't wanna raise any suspicion at the office. Conflict of interest and whatnot." The corner of Danny's mouth twitched. Mindy crossed her arms, toeing a corner of the stool.

"So, I, uh, guess I'll call you later?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, sounds great." Mindy replied, still looking down. Danny thought he heard disappointment in her voice. Could he be imagining it? He reached out to her, but Mindy pulled away, brushing the tangles out of her post-makeout hair.

"Okay." He leaned back, hastily shoving his phone into his pocket. He'd lost the moment already, he didn't wanna lose Mindy too. But he wasn't gonna stick around if she didn't want him. He ran his hands through his hair and turned towards the door.

Mindy walked him to the elevator. Folding her arms against her chest, she put on her best face. Danny, knowing she was feeling much more than she was showing, leaned in and kissed her cheek. He didn't want to be a jackass, but she wasn't giving him much to work with. He got in the elevator, nodding goodbye as the doors closed.

Mindy sighed and walked back to her apartment. She firmly shut the door and turned all the locks, crawling into bed.


	12. Chapter 12

Mindy was standing in front of the elevator, scrolling through her Twitter feed when Danny walked into the lobby. He froze in the doorway, not sure what to do. Should he take the stairs? But then he would be sweaty when he got to the practice. If he took the elevator, Mindy might want to talk about what had happened last night. He didn't think he could handle the rejection.

He was just pushing on the door to the stairwell when he heard his name.

"Danny?" Mindy called again, looking up from her phone, confused.

"Uh, hey, Min." he replied awkwardly, one hand still on the door.

"Were you about to take the stairs?" she asked, looking at him like he was crazy. "Doesn't that hurt your failing knees?"

"Okay, I'm not that old! And I'm in great shape!" He retorted, forgetting their situation for a second. Mindy laughed but quickly quieted.

The elevator dinged. Mindy climbed in, expecting Danny to follow. And what could he do now? She would know he was avoiding her if he took the stairs. He walked in quietly, trying to angle himself toward the wall.

They stood listening to the bland music, looking anywhere but at each other. Danny wanted to ask her what last night had meant, but didn't want to get rejected. Mindy thought he'd made his intentions very clear by leaving. Both stood stubbornly, waiting for the other to speak.

The doors opened, revealing the practice. Danny was about to walk out when Mindy clicked a button and the doors began to shut. He protested, looking at Mindy for an explanation. She glanced up at him, then slid her hand along the entire panel. The floors lit up like a Christmas tree.

"What're you doing?! Now we're gonna be late!" Danny looked at Mindy incredulously.

"We need to talk, and this is the only place we can do it without looking suspicious!"

"Min, you barge into my office and talk to me all the time. No one will notice."

"Yes they will! They'll know." She looked at him meaningfully.

"I think you've been watching one too many episodes of Days of our Lives." Danny rolled his eyes.

"Ohmigod. Danny, you know Days? You little hypocrite! You're always making fun of me for watching my shows, when all along you have been too –"

"Okay, okay, quit it!" Danny hushed her. "I only know because I used to watch it with my Ma when I was sick." He folded his arms, trying to reclaim his composure. Mindy smirked, knowing it was all an act.

"I see right through you, Castellano. But right now we have bigger problems than Hope's amnesia." Danny cringed, knowing what lay ahead.

"Yeah?" He responded, hoping it was something trivial about the pattern on the napkins in the breakroom.

Mindy was suddenly quiet. "About last night…" she began softly. Danny turned towards her. If Mindy was quiet, she was nervous. And if she was nervous, it was important.

"It was nice-" she began.

"Nice?" Danny interrupted, a little miffed. He thought he deserved much better than "nice". There wasn't anything "nice" about it.

"Okay, Casanova, it wasn't just nice. It was great, it was amazing, I saw fireworks. What do you want me to say?"

"Just wanted to be appreciated." Danny shrugged and smiled, smug. Mindy rolled her eyes, but continued.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter if I saw Jude Law in his crowning glory. It can't happen again." She crossed her arms to show how serious she was.

Mindy sighed. Last night had been amazing, but Danny had left. He fought with her all the time, and he probably had some deep-seated trust issues from Christina. Mindy couldn't handle being rejected again. She knew if she made this leap, the fall was gonna hurt. And this time, it looked like there was no one to catch her.

"Okay." Danny nodded in response to her statement. He felt his chest constrict with his reply. He wanted Mindy; he could admit that now. But he couldn't stand to be one of the jerks she dated and dumped in a week. He wasn't a consolation prize. He wanted all of her, or nothing.

"Good. So we'll just pretend like nothing happened." Mindy held back tears. A small – okay, not that small - part of her was hoping Danny would fight her on it. He'd stop the elevator, gather her in his arms, and kiss her senseless. But this wasn't one of her old movies. This was her life, and she refused to get hurt again.

"Now that's something we can agree on." Danny huffed. Even if things had turned out differently, he wouldn't want the whole practice to know. He hated people butting into his business. Mindy's tendency to barge her way into his personal life was a prime example.

Except he had come to enjoy her antics. He smiled, thinking back to their double date with Jamie and…what was her name? Lucy? He could only remember Mindy's disappointment when Jamie failed her Empire State Building Test.

"Hello? Danny?" Mindy waved a hand in front of his face. "We were discussing how we're going to cover up our little tryst?"

"Right." Danny grimaced. "Don't call it that."

"Fine, put whatever name you want on it." Mindy waved her hand dismissively. "We only have four floors left, and then the show begins."

Danny shrugged. "I know you won't be able to keep your hands off me," he smirked.

Mindy gagged. "Ugh. Right. I don't wanna touch your weird body," she insisted, but they both knew she was lying. She'd given him quite a different idea just 24 hours earlier.

"Whatever you say, Lahiri." Danny would let her have this one. He pulled his collar away from his neck, annoyed that he was going to be two minutes late. This woman would never stop driving him crazy.

"Alright." Mindy wanted to have the last word. The elevator finally came to a stop on their floor. "Good talk." She awkwardly clapped him on the back, walking towards the office. Danny shook his head and followed.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Mindy's stomach growled as she walked into the breakroom. "Mmmm, break time!" she said happily, pouring herself some coffee. She held the mug in her hands, inhaling deeply as she stared out the window. It was nice to have some peace and quiet after the chaos of the last 24 hours.

"Hey Dr. L!" Betsy called cheerily as she grabbed an apple. She rinsed it in the sink and sat down across from Mindy. "What's on your mind today?"

"Oh, you know, the usual. Buzzfeed articles, Houndstooth leggings, HPV vaccines."

"Wow, sounds busy!" Betsy replied with wide eyes.

"Well, when you're a smart, gorgeous doctor in New York City like me, you tend to have a packed schedule," Mindy shrugged.

"At least you get to go home and relax at the end of the day!" Betsy said, biting into her Granny Smith. "There's no one there to ask you for fashion advice, or a birth control prescription…"

"Or to cook me dinner…" Mindy lamented, gazing in the direction of Danny's office.

"What do you mean, Dr. L?" Betsy asked, looking concerned.

"Nothing, my kitten-sweatered friend. Just pondering out loud," Mindy replied, getting up to get a bagel. She was just putting it in the toaster when Danny walked into the break room. He went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of tonic water, leaving plenty of space between him and the female doctor. "Mindy." He nodded, then sat down next to Betsy. "Daniel," Mindy replied, looking at him like he had a screw loose. Why was he being so formal?

He sipped his water, idly chatting with Betsy. "So, Betsy, what are your plans for the weekend?"

Betsy shrugged. "I'm not sure, Dr. C. I've got Bible study at 8 tonight, and then Too Cute! Puppy Love is on, so I'll probably watch that. What about you?"

"I dunno, I think I'll go home and make some crème brulee. I started it the other day but never got around to finishing." Danny glanced over at Mindy, who tried to look interested in the Chinese menu stuck to the fridge.

"Wow, Dr. C! Crème brulee? That's so sophisticated!"

"Yeah, I guess so. It's not like I'm gonna go at it with a candlelighter." Mindy huffed, but refused to be pulled in by Danny's jabs.

"Um, why would you do th-" Betsy began to ask. "And I definitely wouldn't try to melt the sugar if I hadn't known it was wasn't ready to be melted!" Danny's voice got louder. Betsy stuttered, not sure how to respond. Mindy couldn't hold back anymore.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Daniel, I was trying to make a special dessert!" She turned, outraged.

"Well you should have tested the custard first!" Betsy was now looking around for an escape. Danny got up and marched over to the toaster.

"I didn't because I wasn't sure how the crème brulee would respond!" Mindy replied, now face-to-face with Danny. She could see the sweat starting to bead.

"Maybe if you had given it the chance to, we wouldn't be at a loss for delicious crème brulee!" He shouted back.

The toaster dinged, bagel slices popping up between the two doctors. They jumped, surprised, and separated. Mindy grabbed her burnt snack and slid it onto the table towards Betsy, who looked paralyzed with fear.

"Danny, could I talk to you for a second?" Mindy ticked her head towards her office and stormed out of the breakroom. Betsy stared as Danny followed angrily.

Mindy shut the door. "What the hell was that?" She half-whispered.

"Oh I'm sorry, you don't like it when someone disturbs your cooking?" Danny asked sarcastically.

"I wasn't cooking! I was toasting a bagel!" she replied, amazed. "Anyway, that's not what I'm talking about. What about playing it cool? Pretending nothing happened? You were like a firecracker in there!"

"I was just talking to one of my employees about one of my hobbies, what's so wrong with that?" Danny asked innocently. Mindy smacked him.

"Okay, fine, I deserved that. I'm sorry." Danny rubbed his face.

Mindy looked at him, sighing. "I guess I'm sorry too. I should've known you couldn't play anything cool. You're like the opposite of cool. You're sweltering." She gestured to his sweaty shirt. "But we have got to get this under control. It can't go back to being like the old days."

Danny nodded. "I know."

"Okay, here's what we're gonna do. We just need some time on our own to calm down the hormones and sweat –" she glanced at the now-pacing Danny – "and then we'll be fine."

"Yeah, we'll be fine." Danny nodded, breathing slowing. "We've been spending so much time together, I think this will be good."

"Yeah." Mindy sighed. She didn't really want to be away from Danny. She'd spent all morning surfing Pinterest for new recipes. But she knew this was for the best. She had to protect herself from getting hurt.

"I gotta get back to work." Mindy sat back down at her desk. "I guess I'll talk to you…later." She ended, not knowing where to go with her thoughts.

"Yeah. Later," Danny replied, walking out of the office. He closed the door behind him, glancing regretfully as Mindy settled in to focus on her paperwork.


	13. Chapter 13

It was day three of Operation Space Out, and Mindy was miserable. All weekend she'd spent cooking different recipes, trying to prove that she didn't need Danny.

But it wasn't true. She did need him.

She missed his jabs at her TV shows, the smell of his old tshirt, and even, she admitted, his smug little smirk. She missed it all.

And now she was determined to get it back.

So what if ended badly? Things with Josh had ended terribly and she'd come out on the other side. And Danny was worth so much more. She'd finally let her mind go all the places she hadn't before: making a cake and making out while it bakes, cuddling on the couch as they watch the Yankees game (yeah, she liked him enough to watch sports!), going to bed together and kissing goodnight. She could even imagine a little boy and girl running up to Mindy after school, ready to come home to Danny cooking them all dinner. She wanted it so badly it hurt.

So late Sunday night, Mindy devised a plan. She would march into Danny's office on Monday and tell him everything. She would apologize for being so stupid, for suggesting they give each other space. Then she would kiss him so passionately that he could do nothing but agree.

At least, that's what she hoped.

With thoughts of Scarlett O'Hara and Princess Buttercup running through her head, Mindy settled in to bed, anxiously awaiting the morning.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Of course, today had to be an exceptionally busy day. Of course. Mindy could barely focus on her patients enough to remember how far along they were, let alone their names. She'd tried to catch Danny between appointments but his schedule was just as hectic as hers. Mindy watched the clock, waiting for noon so she could ask him to go to lunch. That way, she could talk to him about Them. She felt her heart warm just thinking about it.

"Thank you for coming in today, Mrs. Jones. You're doing great, see you in a few weeks." Mindy waved as the woman left the practice, almost galloping over to Danny's office. She swung the door open, only to see an empty desk.

"Betsy?" She turned around and gripped the nurse's station. "Where is Dr. Castellano?" She tried to keep the franticness out of her voice.

"Oh, Dr. C had lunch plans I believe." Betsy replied.

"Do you know with whom?" Mindy asked, reminding herself to breath. Maybe it was a friend back from the Island whom she could persuade to reschedule. She was charming enough, right?

"No, I don't Dr. L. I'm sorry. But they did go to his favorite pizza place. The one down on-" Mindy was gone before Betsy could finish.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Mindy slowed down as she approached the pizza shop. She was out of breath, having run the whole way, and wanted to be able to say what she needed to say to Danny. Her heart was racing a million miles a minute, but she was pretty sure it wasn't from the cardio she'd just completed.

Mindy crept up to the pizzeria and glanced in the window. It took her a second, but she found Danny sitting across from a woman with long, dark hair. She laughed at something Danny said, reaching out to grab his arm. He looked happy, gesturing wildly with his hands. Mindy chuckled, thinking that this was the epitome of Italian.

Was she too late? Fear washed over her. Danny continued to chat with his attractive lunchmate, never straying from her attention. Mindy chastised herself for waiting so long. She should've known Danny wasn't sitting at home, twiddling his thumbs waiting for her.

Through the window Mindy saw him bite into his pizza, laughing at something the woman said. Mindy lamented over how he used to laugh at her while they were cooking and baking. Now he was eating with someone else. How could she be so blind? Danny was great. He could cook, he had a stable job, he made her laugh, and yeah, even though they fought, he was always there for her. He wasn't even really mad when she almost burned down his apartment. Why had Mindy been so afraid?

A fire lit inside of her. No more. She'd turned her life around after Tom's wedding, and she could do it again.

This wasn't over. She knew what she had to do. She walked off, knowing that while this Pizza Woman may have won the battle, Mindy was going to win the Castellano War.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Danny was watching a documentary on the History Channel that night when he heard a knock on the door. He got up, confused, wondering who it could be. He'd caught up with Sarah at lunch already, who else needed to chat at this time of night?

He swung the door open to reveal a penitent-looking Mindy. Danny looked down. She was holding a cake (if you could call it that). The icing was falling off the sides, and it wasn't completely circular, but it wasn't the craftsmanship that made Danny freeze.

On top of the dessert were three words: I Love You.

Danny's head quickly snapped up, searching Mindy's face for answers. "What-"

"No, wait, let me go." Mindy put out a hand to stop him. "If I don't say this now, I might never. And I would regret that for the rest of my life." Danny nodded, speechless.

"Danny, you are so infuriating. You hate pop culture, you look like a Greek statue, and you fight me on everything. But I love you." Danny began to reply. "No, let me finish. But I love you, I know that now. I've realized that I don't want space. I want the opposite of space. I want negative space."

"Technically, negative space is an art concept," Danny replied quietly, without his usual smugness.

"Shut up, you know what I mean. I'm so sorry that I let you go the other night. I'm sorry that I almost burned down your kitchen, that I didn't ask you to sleep with me when I stayed over, that I yelled at you over a bagel. I'm sorry. But I hate this, this " - She gestured between them - " 'agreement'. I don't want to pretend like nothing happened. I want more to happen. I want to stay in with you on Friday nights, because some stupid documentary is on." Danny started to protest, but quieted. "I want to learn how to make homemade icing and put a dot on your nose and kiss it off. I want to go to your Mom's house on Sunday nights and talk about you when you were a kid. I want to be the one in the pizzeria that you laugh at." Mindy sighed. "I just want to love you." She shrugged.

Danny stood in shock, taking it all in. "Min," he started breathlessly.

And then the cake was on the counter and he was kissing her.

It was a sweet kiss, full of relief and giddiness and joy. Mindy could barely restrain herself from jumping up and down, smiling as Danny's lips touched hers. She reveled in the moment, not wanting it to end.

Much too soon for her liking, Danny pulled back and looked Mindy deep in the eyes.

"I love you too."

Mindy lit up, heart threatening to burst out of her chest. "You do?" She couldn't believe her ears.

"Of course I do," Danny replied, now standing up straight but still holding onto Mindy's hands. "I love your ability to remember every insignificant detail about celebrities' lives. I love that you don't know how to cook, so I get to teach you. I love the way you really care about your patients. I love the way you get lost in a file, and how involved you are in everyone's lives," he admitted begrudgingly. "You make me want to go out on a Friday night and dance. You make me want to try that new shake stand you're always talking about. You make me happy." He looked down at her, beaming. It felt so good to finally say it. He'd held it in so long, out of fear, but now he knew better. She loved him. She loved him! And he loved her.

Mindy tackled him, jumping into his arms. Danny laughed and sighed happily, wrapping her up and pulling her into the apartment. He breathed in her smell, a scent that he had missed so much these past three days. He had missed her warmth and her laughter and her fire, and now he had it all. He thought back over all that had passed in the last two minutes, then paused.

He pulled back. "Wait, what did you mean when you said that you wanted to be the one making me laugh at the pizzeria?"

Mindy looked down, shy. "I – I saw you, with some brunette woman today at lunch. You seemed so happy. I'm sorry if I'm ruining something, I just couldn't stand to see you with anyone else –"

"No, Min, you're not ruining anything. You're doing the opposite." He pulled her in close, squeezing. "That woman you saw today is my cousin Sarah. She was in town for a business meeting and wanted to grab some lunch. And since my usual lunch partner was unavailable," he looked at her pointedly, "I accepted."

Mindy sighed in relief, smiling from cheek to cheek. "I'm sorry for stalking you," she laughed into his shoulder.

"Don't be," he replied, laughing as well. "I have a feeling we wouldn't have cake now if you hadn't seen her. Did you make it yourself?"

"Yes I did, thank you very much. From a box." She admitted, knowing that this time, Danny wouldn't care. He kissed her forehead in reply. "And I think I would've come around anyway. This was meant to be." She looked up at him and Danny rolled his eyes. "What?" she asked.

"You and your rom-com narration." He laughed, smiling down at her.

"You called it rom-com! Look, Danny, you're already improving," She kissed him on the cheek. Danny turned, catching her lips. Mindy could feel how much he loved her. It was overwhelming. She had never been so happy in her life, kissing Danny Castellano in his doorway. Wow. That's something she never thought she'd say.

They stood there, reacquainting themselves for a good while. Just when things were getting interesting, Danny pulled away, grabbing Mindy's hands and backing up.

"Where are we going?" she asked in a daze.

"Well, you know what they say," Danny smirked as he pulled her towards his bedroom. "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."

Mindy laughed and trotted after him, leaving the cake where their little piece of heaven had started.


End file.
